Euro Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
EuroAirport redefines use of North Zone - Operations of Light and Leisure Aviation to be discontinued
EuroAirport will cease operations of Light and Leisure Aviation, currently based in the North Zone of the Airport, by the end of 2026 at the latest. The decision was made for business and planning reasons.
Since 1967, EuroAirport has provided infrastructure for Light and Leisure Aviation in the North Zone. However, the operation of this area in which Light and Leisure Aviation is currently located has not been economically viable for several years. In order to continue to comply with regulatory requirements, significant investments in the existing infrastructure would be necessary. In addition, ongoing maintenance costs would increase significantly. The investments cannot be amortised by the expected end of the useful life of this area in 2030, at which point use of the area will be blocked in favour of the extension and renovation project EMT.
At the same time, the Airport requires the concerned surfaces for strategically important developments:
- Space at the Airport is becoming scarce – existing surfaces will have to be used even more specifically for commercial aviation in the future.
- As part of the construction of an annex to the existing terminal building (EMT Landside), the area is planned to be used for logistics and construction operations.
The simultaneous handling of light, leisure, and commercial air traffic also impairs operational efficiency and increases coordination efforts. Various aviation incidents had occurred in the past, further compromising operations.
Business flights (business jets) are not affected by this measure, as they are not located in the North Zone of the Airport.
EuroAirport is aware that this decision has a significant impact on the concerned concession holder, the GAC Basel AG. The Airport is in close cooperation with GAC Basel AG and is striving to make the transition phase as smooth as possible and to find a suitable timeframe for implementation.
For further information about EuroAirport, please go to www.euroairport.com
Contact:
EuroAirport
Manuela WITZIG
Head of Communication and Public Affairs
BP 60120
CH-4030 Basel
+41 (0)61 325 35 45
On-call duty (during weekends): +33 (0)6 32 63 37 87
Flughafen Basel-Mulhouse | Postfach | CH-4030 Basel Aéroport Bâle-Mulhouse | BP 60120 | F-68304 Saint-Louis Cedex