EuroAirport Basel\xE2\x80\x93Mulhouse\xE2\x80\x93Freiburg

Geschichte

EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg is an international airport 3.5km northwest of Basel in Switzerland, 20km southeast of Mulhouse in France, and 46km south-southwest of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany. It is located in France, on the administrative territory of the commune of Saint-Louis near the Swiss and German borders. The airport serves as a base for easyJet Switzerland and Belair, which operates on behalf of Air Berlin, and features mainly flights to European metropolitan and leisure destinations.HistoryEarly yearsPlans 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 4km 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 1200m runway was officially opened on 8 May.Between autumn 1951 and spring 1953, the east–west runway was extended to 1600m and the "Zollfreistrasse" (customs-free road) was constructed, allowing access from Basel to the departure terminal without passing through French border controls.