Bremerhaven Airport

The primary reason for the closure of Bremerhaven Airport (formerly EDWB/BRV) was economic non-viability. The airport required significant annual subsidies from the city of Bremerhaven to remain operational, amounting to several hundred thousand euros per year. In 2012, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether these state subsidies were compliant with EU competition law. Faced with the high probability of having to repay millions in past subsidies and the continued financial burden of operating an airport with very low traffic, the city council decided it was no longer feasible to keep it open. The operating company, Flugplatz Bremerhaven GmbH, subsequently filed for insolvency, leading to the cessation of all flight operations at the end of February 2016.

The former airport site is being completely redeveloped into a large commercial and industrial park named 'Luneort'. The redevelopment plan leverages the site's prime location with direct access to the Weser estuary and proximity to Bremerhaven's major seaports. The focus is on attracting businesses in the logistics, port handling, and offshore wind energy sectors. As of the early 2020s, construction is well underway, with new roads, infrastructure, and large industrial buildings replacing the former runway and aviation facilities. While the outline of the old runway is still partially visible on satellite imagery, it is being systematically built over, permanently erasing its aviation function.

Opened in 1955, the airport, officially known as Flugplatz Bremerhaven-Luneort, had a mixed history of military and civilian use.

**Military Operations:** Initially, it served as a crucial logistics hub for the United States Army, known as 'Bremerhaven Army Airfield' or 'Staging Field Bremerhaven'. Given Bremerhaven's role as a major port of entry for US forces in Germany after WWII, the airfield facilitated the transport of personnel and supplies.

**Civilian Operations:** Civilian operations began in the late 1950s. The airport became the home base for the regional airline OLT (Ostfriesische Lufttransport), which for decades provided essential scheduled services to the East Frisian Islands (notably Wangerooge) and the island of Heligoland. It also handled flights to major hubs like Bremen and Hamburg. In its later years, the airport found a new niche supporting the burgeoning offshore wind energy industry, with helicopter flights transporting crews and equipment to wind farms in the North Sea. Additionally, it was a center for general aviation, business charters, and recreational flying, including gliding and parachuting.

There are no plans or realistic prospects for reopening Bremerhaven Airport. The decision to close was final and driven by insurmountable financial and legal pressures. The subsequent and ongoing large-scale redevelopment of the land into the 'Luneort' industrial park represents a permanent change in land use. The city of Bremerhaven is fully committed to this new economic strategy for the site, making any reversal of the decision politically and financially infeasible.