EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg
| EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg German: Flughafen Basel-Mülhausen-Freiburg French: Aéroport Bâle-Mulhouse-Fribourg |
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IATA: BSL, MLH – ICAO: LFSB
 BSL
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Serves | Basel (Switzerland) Mulhouse (France) Freiburg (Germany) |
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| Location | Saint-Louis, France | ||
| Hub for | EasyJet Switzerland | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 885 ft / 270 m | ||
| Coordinates | 47°35′24″N 007°31′45″E / 47.59000°N 7.52917°ECoordinates: 47°35′24″N 007°31′45″E / 47.59000°N 7.52917°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Maps | |||
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LFSB
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 15/33 | 3,900 | 12,795 | Concrete |
| 08/26 | 1,820 | 5,971 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2011) | |||
| Passengers | 5,053,649 | ||
| Freight (tons) | 103,277 | ||
| Aircraft Movements | 87,584 | ||
| Sources: French AIP,[1] airport website[2] and French AIP at EUROCONTROL[3] | |||
EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (IATA: BSL, MLH, ICAO: LFSB) is an international airport 6 km (3.7 mi) northwest of Basel (Switzerland), 22 km (14 mi) southeast[3] of Mulhouse (France), and 70 km (43 mi) south of Freiburg (Germany).[3] It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis near the Swiss and German borders.
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International status[edit]
Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg is one of the few airports in the world operated jointly by three countries, in this case France, Germany, and Switzerland. It is governed by a 1949 international convention. The headquarters of the airport's operations are located in Blotzheim, France.[4] The airport is located completely on French soil; the airport has a Swiss customs area connected to Basel by a border road.[5] The airport is operated via an agreement established in 1946 wherein the three countries (Switzerland, Germany, and France) are granted access to the airport without any customs or other border restrictions. The airport's board has 8 members each from France and Switzerland and two advisers from Germany.[6]
The airport building is split into two separate sections – Swiss and French. With Switzerland joining the Schengen Treaty in March 2009, the air side was rearranged to include a Schengen and non-Schengen zone.[7]
Due to its international status, EuroAirport has three IATA airport codes: BSL (Basel) is the Swiss code,[8] MLH (Mulhouse) is the French code, [9] and EAP (EuroAirport) is the international code.[10] Its ICAO airport code is LFSB.[1] Geneva International Airport has a similar international status (though without the multiple IATA codes).
History[edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2013) |
Plans for the construction of a joint Swiss-French airport started in the 1930s, but were halted by the Second World War.
In 1946, talks resumed and it was agreed that an airport would be built 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Blotzheim, France. France would provide the land and the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt would cover the construction costs. Basel-Stadt's Grand Council agreed to pay the costs for a provisional airport even before an international treaty was signed (which was not until 1949). Construction began on 8 March 1946 and a provisional airport with a 1,200-metre (3,900 ft) runway was officially opened on 8 May.
Between autumn 1951 and spring 1953, the east–west runway was extended to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) and the "Zollfreistrasse" (customs-free road) was constructed, allowing access from Basel to the departure terminal without passing through French border controls.
The first enlargement project was approved by referendum in Basel in 1960 and, over the following decades, the terminals and runways were continually extended. The north–south runway was extended further to 3,900 metres (12,800 ft) in 1972. In 1984, an annual total of 1 million passengers was reached.
In 1987, the official name was changed to Euro-Airport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg. In 1992, a total of 2 million passengers were served; by 1998, 3 million. A decision was made to enlarge the terminals again with a new "Y-finger" dock. The first phase was completed in 2002 and the second phase in 2005.
Crossair was based at Basel and was its largest airline. Following the Swissair bankruptcy in 2001, the subsequent ending of services in early 2002, and the transformation of Crossair into Swiss International Air Lines, the number of flights from Basel fell and the new terminal was initially underused. In 2004 the low cost carrier EasyJet opened a base at Basel and the passenger totals rose again, reaching 4 million in 2006.
Airlines and destinations[edit]
Passenger[edit]
Cargo[edit]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| DHL Aviation | Leipzig/Halle |
| DHL operated by Atlantic Airlines |
East Midlands |
| DHL operated by Bluebird Cargo |
Geneva, Leipzig/Halle |
| FedEx Feeder operated by Air Contractors |
Paris–Charles de Gaulle |
| Korean Air Cargo | Seoul–Incheon |
| MASkargo | Kuala Lumpur, Tashkent |
| Swiss WorldCargo | Zürich |
| TNT Airways | Liège |
| UPS Airlines operated by Farnair Switzerland |
Cologne/Bonn, Geneva |
Ground transport[edit]
- Connects to the A3 Motorway
- Basel's BVB bus No. 50 connects the Swiss sector of the airport to the Bahnhof SBB, which is the main Swiss and French railway station in Basel. During weekdays, there is a service every 7–8 minutes and on weekends, every 10 minutes during daytime. The duration of the trip is about 20 minutes. On arrival at their hotel, visitors to Basel are given a Mobility Ticket, which allows free trips on public transportation in the city of Basel and its environs (zones 10, 11, 13, and 15, including EuroAirport) for the entire duration of the stay (for a maximum of 30 days). On the day of a visitor's arrival to Basel, a reservation confirmation from the hotel guarantees a free transfer by public transport from the station or the EuroAirport to the hotel.[11]
- French Distribus bus No. 11 connects the French sector of the airport to the Saint-Louis railway station.
- Freiburger-Reisedienst AirportBus connects the French sector of the airport to Freiburg Central bus station.
Other facilities[edit]
Swiss International Air Lines is headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg in the Swiss section of the airport; even though the airport is within France, the Swiss head office is only accessible from Switzerland.[12][13] The Swiss division Swiss Aviation Software has its head office there,[14] Hello, a now defunct Swiss airline, had its head office in the General Aviation area of EuroAirport.[15]
Prior to the formation of Swiss International Air Lines, the regional airline Crossair was headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport.[16] Prior to its dissolution, Crossair Europe was headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport.[17] The airline Farnair Switzerland formerly had its head office at EuroAirport. As in the case of the Swiss head office, the area with the former Farnair head office may only be accessed from Switzerland.[18] The head office moved to its current location, the Villa Guggenheim in Allschwil, in proximity to EuroAirport, on 1 October 2011.[19]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b LFSB – BÂLE MULHOUSE (PDF). AIP from French Service d'information aéronautique, effective 30 May 2013.
- ^ Statistics of the EuroAirport. EuroAirport.com, Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ a b c EAD Basic
- ^ "General conditions of use." EuroAirport. Retrieved on 24 September 2009. "The Site is published by Basel–Mulhouse Airport, a Franco-Swiss public enterprise governed by the international convention of 4 July 1949 concerning its construction and operation and the headquarters of which are situated at 68730 Blotzheim, France."
- ^ "Mulhouse – Practical Information." Airlinair. Retrieved on 1 July 2010.
- ^ The Board of Directors.
- ^ Terminal plan.
- ^ BSL – Basel/Mulhouse-EuroAirport Swiss. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ MLH – Mulhouse, France/Basel-EuroAirport. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ airlinecodes.
- ^ http://www.basel.com/en/mobility-ticket
- ^ "Facts and figures." Swiss International Air Lines. Retrieved on 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Swiss International Air Lines Basel." Swiss International Air Lines. Retrieved on 24 September 2009.
- ^ "CONTACT." Swiss Aviation Software. Retrieved on 17 September 2011. "Swiss AviationSoftware Ltd. BSLSAS/MA P.O.Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland Marketing & Administration" The location is implied by this picture which is of the Swiss head office at Basel Airport.
- ^ "Hello Location." (Direct image link) Hello. Retrieved on 1 July 2010.
- ^ "Location." Crossair. Retrieved on 13 June 2009.
- ^ World Airline Directory. Flight International. March 23–29, 2004. 58.
- ^ "How to find us." Farnair Europe. Retrieved on 8 December 2010.
- ^ "Contact Us." (Archive) Farnair Switzerland. Retrieved on 19 February 2012.
- "Franco-Swiss treaty for the construction and use of Basel–Mulhouse airport in Blotzheim" (1949). Text available in French and German.
- History of Basel Airport on Airport Website. (German)
- Information and some history on Airport Website. (English)
- Article on Basel Airport including information on its history. (German)
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (official site) (English) (French) (German)
- Fly-EuroAirport.com (official B2C site of EuroAirport) (English) (French) (German)
- Aéroport de Bâle-Mulhouse (Union des Aéroports Français) (French)
- Accident history for BSL at Aviation Safety Network
- Accident history for MLH at Aviation Safety Network
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