Heligoland Airport (also known as Helgoland Airfield) is an

airfield An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...

on the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

island of

Düne Düne (Danish: ''Dynen'', North Frisian: ''de Halem'') is one of two islands in the German Bight that form the Archipelago of Heligoland, the other being Heligoland proper. Geography The small island of Düne is part of the German State of Schle ...

, the smaller of the two isles of the Heligoland archipelago in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

, about from the mainland.

History

The first military airfield on Düne existed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

when Heligoland had been fortified. In 1962, the airport was rebuilt into the form it still has today. From 2005 to 2006, the main runway (direction 15/33) was extended from 400 m to 480 m for compliance with EU regulations on commercial air traffic.

Facilities

The airport is licensed for aeroplanes up to

maximum takeoff weight The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous ...

and helicopters up to . Due to the limited length of the runways and adverse wind conditions, the approach to and departure from the airport is demanding, requiring experience and special preparation from pilots. For commercial flights, prior training is mandatory.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Heligoland Airport:fliegofd.de
(German) retrieved 1 May 2021

Ground transportation

ferryboat A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

service connects Düne to the Heligoland main island; there is a single

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

that services the short distance between the airport and ferryboat terminals. In general,

motor vehicles A motor vehicle, also known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on rails (such as trains or trams) and is used for the transportation of people or cargo. The veh ...

and

bicycles A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bi ...

are prohibited on the archipelago.

References

External links

Official website
* {{authority control

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...