Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN)
History, Facts and Overview

(Cologne, Germany)

In 1938, a military airfield was created within the Wahner Heide area and featured a long runway and tall control tower. Just ten years later, Wahn Airport was gaining much interest from nearby Cologne and Bonn, and it was not long until these cities began using the airport extensively, with the most popular route being Berlin.

In 1953, the runway was extended and immediately became the country's longest, serving jet planes and large commercial aircraft. By the 1960s, the North Rhine Westphalia government had encouraged the expansion of international flights, linking the USA and Japan. A new terminal building was opened at Cologne Bonn Airport in 1969, along with the Holiday Inn Airport Hotel in 1974, additional cargo terminals added in 1977 and 1985, and a major car park created in 1986, next to arrivals.


The year of 1993 was instrumental in improving ground transport connections, being the year that a railway link was added, and just one year later, Cologne Bonn Airport began serving more than one million passengers every year. More recently in 2006, the airport opened an enormous extension to the European cargo building, costing over $130 million.

Cologne Bonn Airport has two terminals, with banks, bureaux de change and cash machines in both. In addition, there is a post office, left-luggage facility and a lost property office in Terminal 2 Arrivals. Cafés, fast-food joints, full-service restaurants and bars are located in both terminals, such as Caeftiero, Subway and Maredo, as well as extensive shopping options, including duty-free goods at Travel Value.

The Stockheim Conference Centre can be found on the third floor of the Terminal 1 building and offers conference and business facilities, as does the nearby Holiday Inn Conference Centre. Also of interest for business passengers at Cologne Bonn Airport, the Airport Business Lounge in Terminal 2 Departures contains basic business facilities.