Brand-Briesen Airfield

The airfield's final closure as an aviation development site was due to economic failure. The company Cargolifter AG, which had built a massive hangar on the site to develop heavy-lift airships, declared insolvency in June 2002. This ended all aviation-related development and operations. The initial military use of the airfield had already ceased around 1992 with the withdrawal of Soviet troops following German reunification.

The site has been completely repurposed and is now a major tourist destination. In 2003, the massive 'Aerium' hangar and surrounding land were purchased by a Malaysian company and converted into the **Tropical Islands Resort**, a large indoor tropical-themed water park and resort, which opened in December 2004. The former runways and taxiways are partially used for a large solar park (Photovoltaikpark Brandis), driver safety training centers, and storage. The airfield is no longer used for public or commercial aviation, and its ICAO code is purely historical.

The site has a distinct two-part history.

1. **Cold War Military Base (until ~1992):** Originally, it was a major Soviet Air Force base. It was home to the 20th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division, operating advanced aircraft for its time, including Mikoyan MiG-27 and Sukhoi Su-17 fighter-bombers. The base was a significant forward-deployment site for Soviet tactical air power in East Germany, positioned to play a critical role in any potential conflict with NATO.

2. **Post-Reunification Airship Project (1998-2002):** After the Soviet withdrawal, the site was acquired in 1998 by the company Cargolifter AG for an ambitious project to build and operate the CL 160, a giant semi-rigid airship designed for heavy-lift logistics. To house its construction, they built what was, at the time, the world's largest free-standing hall, known as the 'Aerium'. The project aimed to revolutionize logistics but failed to secure sufficient long-term funding, leading to its collapse.

Effectively zero. The core and most valuable piece of infrastructure on the site, the hangar, has been permanently and successfully repurposed into the Tropical Islands Resort, a major employer and tourist attraction for the region. The economic investment in the resort and the alternative use of the runways for renewable energy generation make any prospect of reverting the site to an active airfield economically and logistically unfeasible. There are no known plans or discussions to reopen it for aviation.