Watching and taking pictures

You can watch the aircraft taking off and landing, and also observe the operations on the apron in the pleasant atmosphere provided by our visitor platform at the Dresden Airport Terminal. A wide choice of bars and restaurants will make your visit an enjoyable one.

Our visitor platform at the Dresden Airport Terminal is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the exception of private events.

On this page you can find out about all the things you can see on a flying visit to the airport. Our tip: While you’re here, why not visit our panoramic Chili Restaurant, have a wander round the shops or take the opportunity to book your next holiday at one of the 27 travel agencies at the airport.

Dresden Airport Terminal with the Skywalk pedestrian bridge

• Built in: 1998 - 2001
• Capacity: 3.5 million passengers a year, with potential to increase to 4.5 million by extending the west wing
• 5 levels, underground S-Bahn station, 6 passenger bridges
• 83 metre long glazed pedestrian bridge to the car park

Car park with Skywalk pedestrian bridge

• Built in: 2000 - 2001
• 5 parking decks and 1 basement for rental cars
• 1559 spaces, of which 50 womenís spaces and 46 disabled spaces
• 83 metre long glazed pedestrian bridge to the terminal

Runway

• Old runway (pre Sept. 2007): 2508 x 80 metres
• New runway (post Sept. 2007): 2850 x 60 metres
• More information: Presentation on runway construction project (german only)

Air Traffic Control tower

• Built in: 2003 - 2005
• Height plus superstructures: approx. 25 metres above ground level
• Air traffic controller's eye level: approx. 248 metres above sea level (21 metres above ground level)
• Full details of what an air traffic controller's job entails do can be found on the Deutsche Flugsicherung website.

Helicopter hangar

• Opened: 2007
• Space for three Saxony Police Helicopter Unit helicopters and the DRF (German Air Rescue Service)rescue helicopter.
• Day rooms, offices, workshops, fuelling and washing areas and a helipad.
• The flat roof is a single-span roof with steel trusses up to 40 metres in length.

Airport fire station

• Opened: 2003
• Big vehicle hall housing the entire firefighting vehicle fleet
• Office, day rooms, rest rooms, store rooms, workshop area, with firefighting pool and sports facilities alongside the building
• More information: Presentation on the airport fire brigade (german only)

Airport technical services, traffic centre (hangar 224)

• Opened: 1998
• Central equipment hangar for airport technical services
• Apron vehicles are kept here.
• The hangar also houses the traffic centre which coordinates handling processes and monitors aircraft and aircraft movements on the apron.

Equipment hangar

• Opened: 1998
• The winter service vehicles are kept here.
• Located right next to the German Meteorological Service weather radar tower.

Washing hangar

• Opened: 2000
• The airport's aircraft are washed here.
• Located right next to the main access, Gate 14.

German Meteorological Service weather radar tower

• Located right by the entrance to the car park, on the road leading to the Dresden Airport Terminal
• One of the airport's architectural landmarks
• Won the City of Dresden Erlwein Prize in 2001
• Scans the skies in a 200 kilometre radius around the airport

Freight hangar

• Handles aircraft departing for destinations all over the world
• Freight volume in 2006: 8,060 tonnes including trucking
• Hall located in the western part of the airport near the old terminals 1 and 2
• Freight at Dresden Airport is handled by PortGround GmbH 

Main access, Gate 14

• Opened: 2006
• Central access to the aviation security area
• The security lodge is 154 square metres in size
• The two entrance lanes are fully roofed over to accommodate vehicle checks

Fatigue testing hangar for Airbus A 380-800

• Hangar shared by IABG Industrieanlagen Betriebsgesellschaft mbH and IMA Materialforschung und Anwendungstechnik GmbH

• Custom-built for fatigue testing: opened in September 2005

• World's biggest full-scale fatigue test on a civilian aircraft: the A 380 is the world's biggest commercial aircraft

• Sections for testing are transported from Hamburg to Dresden by ship

IMA Materialforschung und Anwendungstechnik GmbH

• IMA performs technical and scientific services and research in material, component and product testing and assessment.
• Customers in the aeronautical and aerospace engineering, automotive and railway engineering, mechanical and plant engineering, plastics, iron and steel, structural steel and light metal engineering, medicine and wind energy technology industries

Nehlsen-BWB Flugzeuggalvanik Dresden

• Provider of protective coatings, particularly for aircraft components
• Its services have recently been extended to include the mechanical and electrical engineering, semiconductor, defence engineering and rolling stock construction industries.
• More information: Homepage Nehlsen-BWB 

Small aircraft hangar

• Opened: 2005
• Space for six small aircraft
• Located near the old terminal 1
• two 18 x 3.8 metre doors

EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EADS EFW)

• Within the EADS group, EADS EFW is the competence centre for converting Airbus passenger aircraft into freighters and for components made of sandwich materials.
• Stand 6 hangar (pictured) opened in 2006 (Foto)
• Converts 20 aircraft a year

EADS Elbe-Flugzeugwerke Hangar 285

• Airbus passenger aircraft are converted to freighters here
• Also housed the Saxony Police Helicopter Unit and German Air Rescue Service rescue helicopters up to 2006
• Located in the easternmost part of the airport
• Aircraft only fit fully into the hangar widthways. The tail sticks out through a large gap in the hangar door

Schenker Deutschland AG High-Tech Centre

• Flughafen Dresden GmbH has built three logistics centres for Schenker: opened in 1999, 2003 and 2005
• Total logistics area: approx. 6,000 square metres
• More information can be found on the Schenker website

German Meteorological Service

• The Meteorological Serviceís runway observation building is to the north of the runway.
• There is also a small meteorological garden next to the observation building.

Customs dog kennels

• Six kennels, exercise space and kitchen for preparing the dogs food
• Opened: 2007
• Located behind the Meteorological Service observation building
• The old kennels had to be demolished to make way for the new runway