Dortmund Airport

Dortmund Airport
Flughafen Dortmund
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorFlughafen Dortmund GmbH
ServesDortmund and the eastern Rhine-Ruhr area, Germany
Wizz Air
Elevation AMSL130 m (430 ft)
Coordinates51°31′06″N 007°36′44″E / 51.51833°N 7.61222°E / 51.51833; 7.61222
Websitedortmund-airport.de
Map
DTM is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
DTM
DTM
Location of airport in North Rhine-Westphalia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 2,000 6,562 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers2,934,516 Increase13,5%
Aircraft movements36,258 Increase25,3%
Cargo (metric tons)0 tonnes Steady+/-0,0%
Sources: Statistics at ADV.,[1]
AIP at German air traffic control.[2]

Dortmund Airport (IATA: DTM, ICAO: EDLW) is a minor international airport located 10 km (6.2 mi) east[2] of Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves the eastern Rhine-Ruhr area, the largest urban agglomeration in Germany, and is mainly used for low-cost and leisure charter flights. In 2023 the airport served nearly 3 million passengers. The nearest major international airport is Düsseldorf Airport approx. 70 km (43 mi) to the southwest.

History

Early years

The airport, originally located in the suburb of Brackel, was first served by commercial flights in 1925 by Aero Lloyd, which operated flights to Paris. By the business year 1927/1928, service had expanded to 2,589 commercial flights annually. During World War II the airport was used as a German air base, and was subsequently used by the British Royal Air Force. Service to Dortmund was not recommenced when German commercial air service was restarted in 1955. In 1960, the civil airfield was relocated to Dortmund-Wickede. The old airport was abandoned and occupied by British forces until the 1990s.

Little service

Over the next decades Düsseldorf Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport were the dominant commercial airports in the Rhine-Ruhr Area. Additionally Hannover Airport also covered some of the air travel needs of this region. Furthermore, the 257-km (160-mile) Sauerlandlinie opened in the late 1960s, connecting Dortmund with Frankfurt Airport in under two hours by car.

Commercial service was restored in 1979 with daily flights to Munich by Reise- und Industrieflug. Nuremberg and Stuttgart followed shortly afterwards. Following German Reunification in 1990, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, and London were added to the flight schedule. Reise- und Industrieflug and Nürnberger Flugdienst merged in 1990 and Eurowings was formed, which is still based in Dortmund.

Construction was started in 1998, and completed in 2000 on a new replacement terminal. This multi-level terminal prepared the airport for its resurgence.

Since 2000

From late 2000 onwards, Dortmund Airport has experienced a drastic increase in air traffic. In the 1990s weekly service had been generally restricted to a few turboprop flights to destinations within Germany, as well as occasional charter flights to warm-weather destinations. Since 2000, several new airlines have commenced service to Dortmund, many with mainline jets since after the completation of the new terminal and the expansion of the runway of the airport. Most of the air traffic today is offered by low cost airlines operating Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family series aircraft to warm-weather destinations and VFR-driven destinations in Eastern Europe.

The first larger carrier at Dortmund Airport was Air Berlin, which began flights to London, Milan, and Vienna in 2002, supplementing its leisure route portfolio to the Mediterranean. easyJet commenced services to Dortmund in 2004, and Germanwings followed in 2007. Air Berlin ceased most non-leisure routes from Dortmund again in 2005, while easyJet cancelled four out of its five destinations in 2012.[3]

Since 2006 the airport has been carrying the name "Dortmund Airport 21", in reference to the fact that Dortmund's utility company, DSW21, is its major shareholder. The airport's master plan consists of the following elements: Increasing normal operating hours by one hour at night (to 23:00h), with an additional one-hour window in the morning and at night for exceptions, lengthening the runway to 2,800 m (9,200 ft), expanding the terminal and its infrastructure, improving the motorway connections and directly connecting the airport to mass transit.

At one time Eurowings had its headquarters, the Dortmund Administrative Center (Verwaltungsstandort Dortmund), at the airport.[4] It has been relocated to Düsseldorf in 2010.

In October 2014, Air Berlin announced it was leaving Dortmund Airport entirely, cancelling their last remaining summer seasonal route to Palma de Mallorca.[5] The airline had shut down several leisure routes from the airport in 2012.[6]

As with easyJet in the 2000s, other low-cost carriers started opening routes from Dortmund Airport. Ryanair has progressively added new routes from Dortmund, mostly to destinations around the Mediterranean and the UK. From 2013 to 2015, Spanish low-cost airline Vueling offered a short-lived, four weekly service to Barcelona.[7] However, Wizz Air has been the most significant contributor to the airport's resurgence. The Hungarian low-cost airline began servicing the airport in the mid 2000s by operating several routes to Eastern Europe, in large parts due to the Ruhr's significant Slavic community. In June 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wizzair announced that Dortmund Airport would become its 33rd base, being the first in Germany. However, only one year later, Wizz Air announced the closure of their Dortmund base which led to the termination of several routes.[8]

In October 2024, Ryanair announced the termination of all routes at three German airports including Dortmund, citing high operational costs.[9]

In December 2024, Eurowings also announced it would downsize its operations in Dortmund, terminating the year-round service to Munich as well as not resuming four seasonal destinations.[10] In October 2025, Eurowings subsequently announced the immediate closure of its base at Dortmund Airport as of the same month, cutting four of five remaining destinations to and from the airport except Palma de Mallorca.[11]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Dortmund Airport:[12]

AirlinesDestinations
Condor Seasonal: Palma de Mallorca[13]
Eurowings Palma de Mallorca[10]
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[14]
Seasonal: Antalya[15]
SunExpress Izmir[16]
Seasonal: Antalya,[16] Zonguldak[16]
Wizz Air Banja Luka,[17] Belgrade,[17] Brașov,[18] Bratislava,[19] Bucharest–Otopeni,[20] Budapest,[21] Chișinău,[22] Cluj-Napoca,[23] Craiova,[24] Gdańsk,[25] Iași,[26] Katowice,[13] Kutaisi,[27] London–Luton,[28] Milan-Malpensa (begins 25 October 2026),[29] Niš,[30] Ohrid,[31] Olsztyn-Mazury,[32] Oradea,[33] Palermo (begins 8 September 2026),[34] Podgorica,[35] Pristina,[36] Rome-Fiumicino (begins 25 October 2026),[37] Sibiu,[38] Skopje,[39] Sofia,[40] Suceava,[41] Târgu Mureș,[42] Timișoara,[23] Tirana,[43] Tuzla,[44] Varna,[45] Vilnius,[46] Warsaw–Chopin,[47] Wrocław,[16] Yerevan[48]

Statistics

Direct flight destinations from Dortmund Airport (Apr 2026)[49][50]
Terminal exterior
Terminal interior
Air traffic control tower
Passengers Movements Freight (in t)
2001 1,064,14937,393257
2002 Decrease 994,478Decrease 33,812Increase 289
2003 Increase 1,023,329Decrease 29,788Decrease 96
2004 Increase 1,179,028Decrease 25,743Decrease 75
2005 Increase 1,742,911Increase 30,672Decrease 58
2006 Increase 2,019,651Increase 32,785Decrease 37
2007 Increase 2,155,057Decrease 32,223Increase 40
2008 Increase 2,329,440Decrease 29,555Decrease 35
2009 Decrease 1,711,157Decrease 24,043Decrease 21
2010 Increase 1,747,731Increase 24,232Increase 33
2011 Increase 1,814,246Increase 26,391Decrease 26
2012 Increase 1,896,885Decrease 22,634Decrease 4
2013 Increase 1,924,386Increase 23,809Decrease 2
2014 Increase 1,964,625Decrease 22,202Decrease 0
2015 Increase 1,985,379Increase 23,616Steady 0
2016 Decrease 1,918,845Decrease 21,719Steady 0
2017 Increase 2,000,695Increase 21,931Steady 0
2018 Increase 2,284,202Increase 25,523Steady 0
2019 Increase 2,719,566Increase 26,948Steady 0
2020 Decrease 1,220,624Decrease 18,983Increase 4
2021 Increase 1,692,960Increase 31,039Decrease 0
2022 Increase 2,586,238Increase 36,258Steady 0
2023 Increase 2,934,516
Source: ADV German Airports Association[51][52][1]
Dortmund Airport press release[53]

Ground transportation

To Dortmund and the Ruhr area

Dortmund Airport is served by an express bus to Dortmund main station, a shuttle bus to the nearby railway station Holzwickede/Dortmund Flughafen, a bus to the city's metro line U47, as well as a bus to the city of Unna.

To Düsseldorf

There are two possibilities to go to Düsseldorf main station:

  • Heading to Dortmund main station by the AirportExpress bus (or taking bus line 490 to Aplerbeck and then metro line U47). The direct connection from Dortmund central station to Düsseldorf is operated by frequent regional and long-distance trains.
  • Catching the AirportShuttle bus to nearby Holzwickede station. The shuttle bus leaves every 20 minutes in front of the terminal building. From Holzwickede station taking the RE 13 (Maas-Wupper-Express) towards Venlo. The train runs once every hour and provides a direct connection to Düsseldorf, the travel time is approx. 60 minutes.

Accidents and incidents

  • On January 22, 1982, a Cessna 404 of RFG – Regionalflug on a ferry flight from Düsseldorf landing at Dortmund Airport veered off the runway, crashed into a hangar, and caught fire. The 58-year-old pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. At least four other aircraft in the hangar were destroyed or damaged. The altimeter was incorrectly set due to the pilot's visual impairment.[54]
  • On the evening of November 20, 1985, a private Cessna 421 coming from Vienna crashed about 1 kilometer short of the runway while attempting to land in bad weather. All four occupants were killed.[55]
  • On 3 January 2010, Air Berlin Flight 2450, operated by a Boeing 737-800 (D-ABKF) overran the end of the runway after an aborted take-off at high speed due to an airspeed discrepancy on the two pilots' instruments. There were no injuries among the 171 people on board.[56]
  • On 5 December 2022, a Ryanair Boeing 737 landing at Dortmund Airport overran the end of the runway, which was wet and slightly covered with snow. None of the 175 people on board were injured.[57]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "ADV Monthly Traffic Report 12/2022" (PDF; 919 KB). adv.aero (in German). Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen e.V. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 "AIP VFR online". dfs.de. DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "EasyJet streicht vier von fünf Verbindungen am Flughafen Dortmund - Dortmund - derwesten.de". Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Dortmund Administrative Center Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine." (German version, Map) Eurowings. Retrieved on 28 January 2011. "Dortmund Administrative Center Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG Flugplatz 21 44319 Dortmund Germany."
  5. ↑ derwesten.de, DerWesten- (15 October 2014). "Air Berlin verlässt Dortmund komplett". www.derwesten.de. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "Air Berlin zieht sich im Frühjahr vom Flughafen Dortmund zurück". airliners.de. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  7. ↑ "Vueling eröffnet weitere Deutschlandstrecken".
  8. ↑ Westerhoff, Michael (12 October 2021). "Wizz Air schließt Basis am Dortmunder Flughafen". wdr.de (in German). Archived from the original on 12 August 2021.
  9. ↑ derstandard.de - "Ryanair terminates entire operations in Dortmund, Dresden and Leipzig" (German) 10 October 2024
  10. 1 2 airliners.de - "Eurowings continues Hamburg decrease, Dortmund also affected" (German) 6 December 2024
  11. ↑ "aerotelegraph.com - "Eurowings schließt ihre Basis am Flughafen Dortmund noch in diesem Monat" (German) 10 October 2025". 10 October 2025.
  12. ↑ dortmund-airport.com - Flight schedule retrieved 18 October 2025
  13. 1 2 "Flughafen Dortmund: Beliebtestes Reiseziel 2024 ist nicht Mallorca" (in German). 11 January 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Pegasus Airlines to Launch Flights Between Istanbul and Dortmund, Germany". Travel News Asia. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Lassetter, Jon (23 April 2025). "New Route of the Day (13 April 2025): Pegasus Airlines between Antalya and Dortmund". Air Service One. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Das ist der Sommerflugplan am Flughafen Dortmund". aeroTELEGRAPH (in Swiss High German). 26 March 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  17. 1 2 Vetter, Brigitte (10 November 2025). "These flights from Germany will be cancelled in 2026". Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Aeroportul Braşov. Se stiu cursele Wizz Air - MyTex.ro". 6 April 2023.
  19. ↑ Petit Press a.s. (16 October 2025). "Wizz Air neustupuje, v Bratislave pridáva ďalších dvanásť nových liniek". closer.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  20. ↑ Lassetter, Jon (30 November 2022). "Wizz Air capacity up almost 70% at Bucharest since 2019; now serving 60 destinations with 18 aircraft". Air Service One. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Egy gépnyi ember nem tudott hazajutni Dortmundból Budapestre" (in Hungarian). 24 December 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Wizz Air redeschide baza de la Chișinău și redeschide opt rute aeriene". 17 October 2024.
  23. 1 2 Hațegan, Ovidiu (23 June 2022). "Zeci de români, blocați pe aeroportul din Dortmund după ce Wizz Air a anulat două curse spre România". G4Media.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Flughafen Dortmund: Wizz Air bringt Verbindung nach Craiova zurück". aerotelegraph.com. 12 December 2024.
  25. ↑ Mizzi, Amely (6 February 2024). "Sommer 2024: Wizz Air mit einigen Flugplan-Adaptionen". Aviation.Direct (in German). Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  26. ↑ ZĂNOAGĂ, Alex (22 January 2024). "Wizz Air a anulat o cursă și a încercat să scape de plata unei compensații de 400 de euro. Judecătorii au respins argumentele companiei aeriene". Ziarul de Iaşi - liderul presei ieşene. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  27. ↑ Lassetter, Jon (2 August 2022). "Wizz Air base at Kutaisi in Georgia back to full strength; now serving 22 destinations in 14 countries". Air Service One. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Wizz Air expands Luton network with six new routes". Travel Weekly (in Portuguese). 31 March 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  29. ↑ "Wizz Air : 10 aerei a Milano Malpensa e 5 nuove rotte" [WIZZAIR: 10 based aircraft in Malpensa and 5 new routes]. italiavola.com (in Italian). 16 March 2026.
  30. ↑ "Wizzair obnavlja liniju za Dortmund iz Niša". 3 July 2025.
  31. ↑ "Why has the Wizz Air Plane suddenly changed direction over the Border between Croatia and BiH?". Sarajevo Times. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "Wizz Air Launches Direct Flights Between Olsztyn-Mazury and Dortmund". 23 May 2025.
  33. ↑ Bobon, Gabriel (5 December 2025). "EXCLUSIV: Wizz Air lansează trei rute de la Oradea în 2026". BoardingPass.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  34. ↑ "Wizz Air apre nuove rotte da Palermo". 24 April 2026.
  35. ↑ "Wizz Air negotiating two aircraft base in Podgorica". EX-YU Aviation News. 19 April 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  36. ↑ "Wizz eyes further Pristina expansion as GP Aviation cuts routes". EX-YU Aviation News. 20 August 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  37. ↑ "Wizz Air kündigt neue Strecke von Dortmund nach Italien an" (in German). 20 March 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  38. ↑ Bratu, Alin (16 April 2025). "Wizz Air a deblocat rezervările pentru biletele din lunile de iarnă. Spre Roma și Viena vor fi 3 curse săptămânale". Știri Sibiu (in Romanian). Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  39. ↑ Lassetter, Jon (27 July 2026). "New Routes of the Day (15 July 2026): Wizz Air's new routes from Skopje". Air Service One. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  40. ↑ Mizzi, Amely (6 July 2022). "From Sofia: SkyUp flies Boeing 737-800 for Wizz Air". Aviation.Direct. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  41. ↑ Woods, John (19 June 2025). "Wizz Air suspends flights affecting thousands of passengers, reopens base in Central Europe". Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  42. ↑ Marcu, Vlad (8 December 2025). "Wizz Air anunță nouă noi rute de la aeroportul din Târgu Mureș". BoardingPass.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  43. ↑ "Wizz Air nis fluturime speciale Shqipëria për në Kampionatin Europian të Futbollit 2024 | FAKTOR.AL". 1 February 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  44. ↑ "Wizz Air unveils Tuzla base with nine new routes". EX-YU Aviation News. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  45. ↑ "Wizz Air Expands Varna Operations with Four New Destinations - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". 3 June 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  46. ↑ Kapsevičius, Gytis (8 March 2025). "Pjautynių Vilnius-Roma maršrute neatlaikiusi „Wizz Air" persimetė į Dortmundą - Verslo žinios" (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  47. ↑ "Neue Verbindung: Wizz Air verbindet Dortmund und Warschau". aerotelegraph.com. 17 December 2024.
  48. ↑ "Wizz Air to launch flights from Yerevan to Dortmund, Sofia, Katowice and Prague".
  49. ↑ "Direct flights from Cologne Bonn Airport (DTM)". FlightConnections. 1 April 2026.
  50. ↑ "dortmund airport destinations - Google Search". Google. 1 April 2026.
  51. ↑ "Traffic figures (since 1991)". adv.aero (in German). Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  52. ↑ "ADV Monthly Traffic Report 12/2021" (PDF). adv.org. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen e.V. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  53. ↑ "Dortmund Airport make an annual balance sheet for the year 2021" (PDF) (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  54. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Cessna 404 Titan D-ICRH, Friday 22 January 1982". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  55. ↑ "Accident Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III D-IFLY". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  56. ↑ "Incident: Air Berlin B738 at Dortmund on Jan 3rd 2010, rejected takeoff results in runway overrun". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  57. ↑ "Ryanair-Landung in Dortmund geht fast schief – Behörde untersucht Vorfall". www.24rhein.de (in German). 10 March 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.

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