Fliegerhorst Neubiberg

Military conversion and urban redevelopment. Following the end of the Cold War, the strategic need for the airfield diminished. The site was already home to the University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich, which was expanding. The final decision was made to cease all flight operations to fully convert the site for academic use and to redevelop the extensive runway area into a public park for the surrounding communities of Unterhaching, Neubiberg, and Ottobrunn.

The site has been completely transformed and is no longer recognizable as an airport. The primary user of the former barracks and technical areas is the sprawling campus of the **University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich**. Many of the original hangars and administrative buildings have been repurposed for academic and administrative use. The entire 2.7 km long runway, along with its taxiways, has been de-paved and converted into the **Landschaftspark Hachinger Tal**, a 126-hectare public landscape park and nature reserve that serves as a major recreational area for the region. The park retains the outline of the former runway as a central path. The surrounding areas have also seen significant residential and commercial development.

Fliegerhorst Neubiberg has a rich and multi-layered history, playing significant roles in three distinct eras:

1. **Third Reich Era (1933-1945):** Constructed in 1933 as part of the Nazi rearmament program, it was a key Luftwaffe airbase. It housed various combat units, including fighter groups (like Jagdgeschwader 52, the most successful fighter wing in history) and bomber groups (Kampfgeschwader 55 "Greif"). The base was instrumental in the air defense of Munich and served as a training and operational airfield throughout World War II. It was heavily targeted by Allied bombing raids towards the end of the war.

2. **USAF Era (1945-1958):** After being captured by American forces in April 1945, it was designated as Advanced Landing Ground R-85. It was quickly rebuilt and became a major operational base for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), known as Neubiberg Air Base. During the early Cold War, it was a frontline fighter base, hosting units like the 86th Fighter Wing flying F-84 Thunderjets and later F-86D Sabre interceptors. It played a critical role in NATO's air defense network for Central Europe.

3. **Bundeswehr Era (1958-1998):** The airbase was handed back to the West German government in 1958. The newly formed German Air Force (Luftwaffe) used it for training establishments, including the Air Force Officer School (Offizierschule der Luftwaffe). In 1973, the University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich (Universität der Bundeswehr München) was founded on the barracks portion of the site. For 25 years, the university coexisted with limited flight operations, which primarily consisted of transport and liaison aircraft for the German military.

None. There are absolutely no plans or prospects for reopening Fliegerhorst Neubiberg as an airport. The site has been permanently and irreversibly redeveloped. The physical infrastructure of the runway and taxiways has been removed, and the land has been repurposed into a university campus and a large, protected public park. The area is now a densely populated suburban zone, making any future aviation activity politically, environmentally, and logistically impossible.