Harman Patil (Editor)

Bitburg Airport

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Airport type
  
Public

Serves
  
06/24
  
3,056

Code
  
BBJ

Phone
  
+49 6561 96360

Operator
  
Flugplatz Bitburg GmbH

Elevation AMSL
  
1,223 ft / 373 m

3,056
  
10,026

Elevation
  
372 m

Bitburg Airport

Address
  
Am Tower 14, 54634 Bitburg, Germany

Similar
  
Patriot Military Automobi, Spangda Main Gate, G&G Motorsport, Hotel‑Eife, Hotel Restaurant Meilbrück

Capri mako v8 bitburg airport


Bitburg Airport (German: Flugplatz Bitburg) (IATA: BBJ, ICAO: EDRB) is a commercial airport serving Bitburg, a city in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. It is located 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Bitburg, 32 km (20 mile) north of Trier, and 217 km (135 miles) west of Wiesbaden.

Contents

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History

From 1952 until 1994, Bitburg Air Base was a front-line NATO air base. It was the home of the United States Air Force's 36th Fighter Wing for over 40 years as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).

Under contract with the United States Air Force, the French Army began construction of what would become the base in Western Germany's Eifel Mountains in early 1951. Located in the French occupation zone, construction began on farm land that had been a Wehrmacht tank staging and supply area for the Battle of the Bulge in early 1944. The air base and its housing area occupied nearly 1,100 acres (445 ha), with a 8,200-foot (2,500 m) long runway (with 1,000-foot (300 m) overruns at each end, total length would be 10,200 ft).

In July 1952, the 53rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron from the 36th Wing moved from Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base a few miles west of Munich and arrived at the newly built base. Throughout the summer, elements of the 36th FBW moved into Bitburg, with the wing officially arriving in November 1952.

With the end of the Cold War, it was deemed that Bitburg AB was no longer needed as a military base and it was turned over to the German government on 1 October 1994. Between June and September 1997, it was necessary to repair the Spangdahlem Air Base runway and that called for a temporary location to accommodate the 52d Fighter Wing's three squadrons of F-15s and F-16s. Bitburg Airport was the most logical place—only 10 miles (16 km) down the road. The USAF departed for the second time in September 1997 and Bitburg Airport was returned to use by the civil aircraft which now call it home.

On September 15, 2008, the Ministry of Transport of Rhineland-Palatinate granted the airport contractor landing rights for aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of more than 14 tonnes. The airport contracting company is currently evaluating plans to develop the airport into a regional freight airport.

Airlines and destinations

There are no scheduled airline services to and from Bitburg Airport.

References

Bitburg Airport Wikipedia