Flughafen Dresden

Geschichte

Dresden Airport is the international airport in Dresden, the capital of the German Free State of Saxony. It is located in Klotzsche, a district of Dresden 9km north of the city centre. It was known in German as Flughafen Dresden-Klotzsche. Destinations from the airport include a few European cities and several holiday destinations.Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), a subsidiary of Airbus and ST Aerospace, is based at the airport. EFW is mainly tasked with freighter conversions.HistoryEarly yearsThe airport was opened to commercial traffic on 11 July 1935.Though planned as a commercial airport, its importance to the military increased dramatically during the Third Reich. During World War II it was exclusively used for military purposes. An airlift between the airport and Breslau (modern day Wrocław) was established to support German troops during the Siege of Breslau in the spring of 1945. Attempts to destroy buildings and equipment before Allied troops could occupy Dresden failed due to the resistance of civil airport employees.During the following years, the airport was used as an education centre for the Soviet army. It was reopened for commercial traffic on 16 June 1957. In 1959 international air traffic resumed, primarily to Eastern Bloc countries.