A journey through the history of aviation in Dresden
Commercial aeroplanes first started taking off and landing at the newly opened Dresden Airport on 11 July 1935. Since then, a wide range of social, economic and technological changes have impacted on the development of the airport. The period between 1955 and 1961, which saw Dresden transformed into the centre of aircraft engineering in the former East Germany, makes the history of this airport a unique one and has shaped the design and atmosphere of the airport ever since. The Dresden Airport Terminal, which was opened in 2001, was built from a hangar formerly used as an assembly hall by the East German aircraft industry. As such it is a visible expression of its relationship with its own past. We have put together the history of Dresden Airport for you in the following chapters:
1935 to 1945
Bustling civil aviation gives way to military use
1945 to 1961
Airport resumes civil flights; growth of a new aviation industry
1962 to 1989
Cold War and capacity bottlenecks
1989 to 2000
Changing times, dawn of a new era: Passenger numbers multiply, airport undergoes comprehensive modernisation
2001 to 2010
More modern and more efficient than ever before: the new Dresden Airport
For more detailed information, please refer to the book Flughafen Dresden – Geschichte und Gegenwart der Dresdner Luftfahrt (Dresden Airport - History and Present of Aviation in Dresden), published in Dresden in 2000 by Sandstein-Verlag. You will find a brief summary in our newly updated history leaflet.
A journey through the history of aviation in Dresden (PDF file, 455 kB, German only)