Zweibrücken airfield
| Zweibrücken airfield | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | EDRZ |
| IATA code | ZQW |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 345 m (1132 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 4 km southeast of Zweibrücken, 35 km east of Saarbrücken |
| Street |
  L 700
|
| Local transport | City bus line 226 Airfield / Fashion Outlet |
| Basic data | |
| opening | * Military 1952 * Civil 1992 * Private 2015 |
| operator | TRIWO AG |
| surface | 178 ha |
| Flight movements |
11,300 (2018) |
| Employees | 25th |
| Start-and runway | |
| 03/21 | 2675 m × 45 m asphalt |
| website | |
| www.edrz-airport.de | |
The Zweibrücken is a German aerodrome four kilometers southeast of Two Bridges in Rhineland-Palatinate . On November 3, 2014 the commercial line service was discontinued. On November 12, 2015, Airspace G with a RMZ was introduced at Zweibrücken Airfield . It has been classified as a special landing site since March 29, 2018 (NfL 1-1303-18).
The airfield has a 2675 meter long runway . It has all modern safety equipment and technical equipment for aircraft handling. A separate police station was in place until November 2014 and a new check-in hall was put into operation in early April 2007.
A number of companies with a focus on aviation, IT, fashion and leisure, including the Zweibrücken Fashion Outlet and the glider manufacturer Lange Flugzeugbau , have settled on the area of the airfield or in its immediate vicinity . The new operator markets the airfield areas for test and development drives and events for the automotive industry.
history
Zweibrücken Airfield is a former French , Canadian and later American military airfield .
RCAF station Zweibrücken
The airfield was built in 1951 for the French military , but was initially used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1952 . The Royal Canadian Air Force Station Zweibrücken ( RCAF Station Zweibrücken for short ) stationed the 3rd (Fighter) Squadron, 3rd (Fighter) Wing , the three flying squadrons, the 413rd 427th and 434th Squadron here from the beginning of April 1953 , were subordinated. They flew Saber Mk.2 (from 1954 Mk.5 and Mk.6) day fighters. In addition, the squadron flew some CT-133s and one C-45 . The squadron was in turn subordinate to the 1st Air Division (RCAF) .
The 413rd Squadron was deactivated in early April 1957 and replaced in mid-May 1957 by the 440th Squadron equipped with all-weather fighters of the type CF-100 .
This squadron was deactivated in 1962 and in the fall of 1962 and spring of 1963 the two remaining squadrons were converted to the CF-104 in the nuclear "strike" role. For this purpose, the existing runway was extended from 2400 m to 2900 m. Some starfighters were always armed with nuclear weapons as part of QRA readiness . For this purpose, there were two machines, initially even four, in a secure area. These nuclear weapons belonged to the US and were under the control of the US Air Force . In February 1964, the 430th Squadron, which had previously been in Grostenquin , moved a third CF-104 squadron to Zweibrücken. The 434th Squadron was disbanded in the spring of 1967 and the 3rd Wing was now subordinate to only two squadrons.
In the spring of 1968 the armed forces of Canada were reorganized and the airfield in Zweibrücken became the Canadian Forces Base Zweibrücken ( CFB Zweibrücken for short ) for a few years . For budget reasons, the number of Canadian troops in Europe was subsequently reduced and the 430th Squadron relocated to Lahr in February 1969 and the 427th Squadron in turn moved to Baden-Söllingen in mid-1970 .
Zweibrücken Air Base
In 1971 the airfield was taken over by the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and 18 RF-4 Phantom reconnaissance aircraft and from 1984 18 C-23 Sherpa were stationed.
Zweibrücken airfield
After the withdrawal of the American troops in 1991, the airfield was opened for civil aviation. The beginning of commercial aviation is still difficult today; the structurally weak region has numerous other airports in the vicinity: the closest are Saarbrücken (21 km), Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden (73 km) and Strasbourg (74 km), but also Frankfurt (126 km) and the airports in Hahn (87 kilometers), Luxembourg (98 kilometers) and Mannheim City Airport (87 kilometers) are not far away.
With a runway almost 2,700 meters long, it also has the capacity for large aircraft. At the end of the 1990s there were brief flights from Zweibrücken to Palma de Mallorca Airport . Attempts to tie low-cost airlines to Zweibrücken then repeatedly failed. In the 2004 summer flight schedule , the Bulgarian low-cost airline Bexx-Air offered flights to Burgas and Sofia . On July 1, 2006, a control zone (CTR) was introduced; this had been delayed again and again due to political discussions and management problems.
Germanwings has been flying daily between Zweibrücken and Berlin-Schönefeld with an Airbus A319 since 2006 . The route was served in both directions in the morning and evening (different on weekends). This increased the number of passengers by 350 percent compared to the previous year to 62,394 passengers. Germanwings canceled the route on January 10, 2011 due to the often difficult weather and the resulting necessary flight diversions, as well as due to impending losses in connection with the air traffic tax .
For the 2007 summer flight schedule, TUIfly came to Zweibrücken with several destinations in the Mediterranean region.
In 2009 around 340,000 passengers used Zweibrücken airfield. In June 2009 Ryanair announced that it would discontinue the Zweibrücken - London-Stansted connection on October 30, 2009 due to insufficient capacity utilization.
In January 2010, the previous was Airfield Zweibrucken because of Bauschutzbereiches according to § 12 LuftVG legally for commercial airport. In March 2018, the airfield was downgraded to the status of a special landing site.
In June 2011 the talks on cooperation with Saarbrücken Airport , which had previously failed due to cost issues, were resumed. With the political goal of preserving both airports, a corresponding concept for a “Saar-Palatinate Airport” should be worked out by summer 2012.
On October 30, 2014, it became known that operations at the financially troubled Zweibrücken Airport would initially be suspended due to a lack of donors. The insolvency administrator Jan Markus Plathner described this as "winter rest", which will apply from November 4, 2014 on. At the same time, most of the 100 remaining employees were released from work. At the same time, however, talks with potential investors should continue.
On November 12, 2015, the previous control zone was abolished and airspace G was introduced with a RMZ ( Radio Mandatory Zone ) which, in addition to visual flight, also allows instrument approaches with prior approval (PPR).
Review of subsidies and bankruptcy
In February 2012, the European Commission opened an investigation into possible inadmissible state aid. The airport has allegedly received infrastructure and operating subsidies since 2006, and the airlines Germanwings, TUIfly and Ryanair are said to have gained an unfair competitive advantage through reduced airport charges.
In July 2014 it became known that the European Commission would declare aid for the airport to the amount of 56 million euros illegal and order its repayment. Funding regulations were not adhered to, in particular due to the proximity to the long-standing Saarbrücken Airport . As a result, the airport will soon file for bankruptcy and will probably cease operations by the end of the summer flight schedule in October 2014. On July 24, 2014, the bankruptcy petition was filed, which was granted on October 1, 2014 with the announcement of the EU decision on the repayment of 47 million euros.
The airfield was sold to the property developer Triwo AG from Trier at the end of November 2014 . The airfield will continue to be operated as a special landing site for the aviation companies located there, and the airfield will be used as a business park and test track for vehicles.
During the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015 , the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Integration decided in October to initially accommodate 300 and then a total of up to 500 refugees in the departure hall of the airport.
Traffic figures
| Year of operation | Passenger volume | Air freight ( t ) | Flight movements |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 9887 | ||
| 2016 | 4665 | ||
| 2015 | 2440 | ||
| 2014 | 206,000 | 32 | 3,240 |
| 2013 | 220.740 | 81.8 | 11,855 |
| 2012 | 242,880 | 13,230 | |
| 2011 | 223.165 | 125 | 14,500 |
| 2010 | 264,247 | 385.0 | 15,945 |
| 2009 | 338.219 | 85.6 | 20,846 |
| 2008 | 327.012 | 176.6 | 25,459 |
| 2007 | 287.251 | 506.6 | approx. 26,700 |
| 2006 | 78,000 | 23,160 |
Incidents
On May 14, 2008 there was a near collision on the ground ( runway incursion ) at Zweibrücken airfield . An Airbus A319 of the Germanwings airline had received the take-off permit and began the take-off run when a Transall C-160 of the Luftwaffe rolled onto the runway from the opposite side. The civilian machine took off over the military transport and flew over it at an altitude of about 400 feet. According to the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation , the reason for this incident was that the crew of the Transall had misunderstood their taxi clearance and, instead of stopping in front of the runway, had rolled into the take-off position. To make matters worse, the crews of the two aircraft could not see each other because of the height profile of the runway.
Directions
Zweibrücken Airport is located in the Rhineland-Palatinate West Palatinate near the borders with France ( Moselle department ) and the Saarland . It is 4 kilometers to the center of Zweibrücken and 40 kilometers by road to Saarbrücken.
The airfield can be reached with the bus line 226 of the Rhenus Veniro Verkehrsgesellschaft Zweibrücken every hour from the Zweibrücken bus station Stadtmitte / ZOB Zweibrücken and from Zweibrücken Hauptbahnhof (DB). The journey time is around 12 or 23 minutes. The airport can be reached from Homburg main station by changing at the Zweibrücken central bus station Monday to Saturday every hour. The journey time is around 50 minutes.
The direct bus connection from Saarbrücken , line 199 of the Baron company ( Saar-Pfalz-Bus until 2010), has been discontinued.
With the car you use the exit of the A8 "Contwig / Flughafen". The airfield thus has a good connection to the southwest German motorway system. The L 700 connects quickly to France (including Bitche ). There are 1500 parking spaces at the airport.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The last passenger plane takes off at Zweibrücken Airport. airliners.de, November 3, 2014, accessed November 4, 2014 .
- ↑ TRIWO vehicle test center - bookable now. (No longer available online.) In: triwo.de. TRIWO AG, November 2015, archived from the original on November 17, 2015 ; accessed on July 20, 2020 .
- ↑ Fly In Magazin from October 27, 2010 ( Memento from April 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Ryanair cancels route Zweibrücken – London , airliners.de
- ↑ Zweibrücken and Saarbrücken are negotiating at airliners.de on June 30, 2011.
- ↑ Saar-Pfalz-Airport takes shape at airliners.de on February 28, 2012.
- ^ Airport operations in Zweibrücken will be closed , Handelsblatt dated October 30, 2014, accessed on October 31, 2014.
- ↑ Notices to Airmen 1-527-15. (PDF) (No longer available online.) German Air Traffic Control , November 12, 2015, archived from the original on November 17, 2015 ; accessed on November 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Notices to Airmen 1-528-15. (PDF) (No longer available online.) German Air Traffic Control , November 12, 2015, archived from the original on November 17, 2015 ; accessed on November 14, 2015 .
- ↑ a b State aid: EU Commission initiates investigation procedures in the German and Austrian aviation sector. European Commission , February 22, 2012, accessed February 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Zweibrücken Airport is threatened with insolvency , focus.de, July 22, 2014.
- ↑ Live Ticker , swr.de, July 22, 2014.
- ↑ Provisional insolvency administrator of Zweibrücken Airport appointed ( Memento from August 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ airliners.de
- ↑ Lutz Fröhlich: The airport sale is now perfect. Large majority in the creditors' meeting for Triwo as the only valuable bidder. Pfälzischer Merkur , December 31, 2014, accessed November 8, 2017 .
- ↑ Zweibrücken: Drinking water problems - no refugees are coming today ( memento from October 6, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), Rheinpfalz.de from October 5, 2015.
- ^ Zweibrücken: More flights than in Saarbrücken . ( rheinpfalz.de [accessed on May 26, 2018]).
- ↑ Decline in passengers in Zweibrücken. In: aero.de. aero.de, accessed on January 10, 2014 .
- ↑ a b Zweibrücken Airport - data & facts. (No longer available online.) In: flughafen-zweibruecken.de. Zweibrücken Airport GmbH, archived from the original ; accessed on March 28, 2013 .
- ^ Mathias Schneck: Passenger numbers and cargo in descent. In: pfaelzischer-merkur.de. Zweibrücker Druckerei und Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, January 6, 2013, accessed on November 6, 2017 .
- ↑ Investigation report 5X006-08. (PDF) Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, January 2014, accessed on December 13, 2014 : " The runway incursion occurred because a C-160 Transall did not stop at taxi position 21 due to a misinterpretation of the taxi clearance, but instead rolled onto runway 21 "
