Freiburg Airport

QFB originated with a balloon flight in 1907, making it one of the oldest aerodromes in Germany. Lufthansa began regularly scheduled flights to Stuttgart on July 5th, 1926, and to Constance on July 2nd, 1930. During the 1930s, the airport was used primarily for military purposes, and after WWII, it was used by French occupation forces for several decades. As these forces had created a lot of noise, in the 1960s, there was a movement to decommission the airport and redevelop the area for housing. Nonetheless, in 1974 the city council decided to expand the airport instead.
Moreover, a 1995 referendum of the citizens of Freiburg showed strong support for the airport due to its importance to the local economy. This is mainly due to its use by the Heart and Lung Centers of the University Medical Center Freiburg for the transportation of organs in the European catchment area (and for this purpose, unrestricted night flights at QFB are permitted). As the airport’s capacity to service aircraft was limited by its runway, in 2006, it was extended to its current length of 4,590 feet. Moreover, PAPI approach aids were installed. A new stadium built for the benefit of the football (soccer) team FC Freiburg, which opened in 2021, meant that sports such as skydiving and gliding would lose their current areas of operation. Moreover, the new stadium would mean visiting teams could use the airport if aircraft heavier than 10 tons were permitted to land. To accommodate this potential circumstance, the airport purchased a used fire truck in 2019.

The airport is located in the northwestern part of Freiburg. 

• QFB is operated by Flugplatz Freiburg-Breisgau GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Stadtwerke Freiburg GmbH. It generates a 5-digit annual loss, which is made up for by municipal funds. 
• The airport lease runs out in 2031, and the city council has been asked to determine how expensive it would be to close the airport then. 
• The airport is primarily used for business, private, and organ flights.