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Leipzig/Halle Airport

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Leipzig/Halle Airport (IATA: LEJ, ICAO: EDDP) (German: Flughafen Leipzig/Halle) is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany, and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. It is a state-owned enterprise and is one of only 4 German airports which allows 24 hour take off and landing, i.e. red-eye flights.

Leipzig/Halle Airport

Flughafen Leipzig/Halle
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerMitteldeutsche Airport Holding AG
OperatorFlughafen Leipzig/Halle GmbH
ServesLeipzig and Halle
LocationSchkeuditz, Germany
Hub for
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL470 ft / 143 m
Coordinates51°25′26″N 012°14′11″E / 51.42389°N 12.23639°E / 51.42389; 12.23639
Websitemdf-ag.com
Map
LEJ is located in Saxony
LEJ
LEJ
Location of airport in Saxony
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08L/26R 3,600 11,811 Concrete
08R/26L 3,600 11,811 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers1,558,602 Increase+133,4%
Aircraft movements0,080,902 Increase00+6,3%
Cargo (metric tons)1,510,575 Decrease00-5,1%
Sources: Statistics at ADV.[4],
AIP at German air traffic control.[5]

In terms of cargo traffic, as of 2019 the airport was the second-busiest in Germany after Frankfurt Airport, and the fifth-busiest in Europe, having handled 1,238,343 metric tonnes of cargo. It is Germany's 14th largest airport by passengers and handled more than 2.61 million passengers in 2019 mainly with flights to European leisure destinations. The airport serves as the main European hub for DHL Aviation and the main hub for AeroLogic. Military installations have also been built at the airport for NATO and EU military aircraft.[6]

History

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The airport in 1929
 
The airport's restaurant in 1931

Foundation in the GDR

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The airport was built new from the ground up at a location between Halle and Leipzig from 1926 and opened in 1927.[citation needed]

On 18 March 1986, Air France flew a Concorde to the airport, to coincide with the world-renowned Leipzig trade fair. Two days later British Airways also flew a Concorde to Leipzig/Halle.[citation needed] In the following years, both airlines operated Concorde flights from Paris and London when the trade fair was held in Leipzig.

Development since 2000

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Despite its name, the airport is located in the town of Schkeuditz, Nordsachsen. A deal between the city of Leipzig and the Landkreis Delitzsch led to a land exchange. In 2007, Leipzig received land outside the airport while ownership of the airport land was transferred to Delitzsch. The District of Delitzsch, which by now has merged to become part of Landkreis Nordsachsen, owns and claims taxes from the grounds and commercial interest from the airport.[citation needed]

In early 2008, DHL Aviation moved its European hub from Brussels Airport to Leipzig/Halle, leading to a significant increase in cargo traffic at the airport. Leipzig bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and the airport was modernised as a result, even though London was eventually awarded the games.[citation needed]

In spring 2013, Ryanair announced the start of operations to Leipzig/Halle on six routes. However, one year later all of them except the flights to London–Stansted were terminated.[7] In February 2015, Etihad Regional announced the immediate termination of all their Leipzig/Halle operations which had started only two years earlier, due to changes to their operational concept. All three routes were shut down while two newly announced ones did not start.[8]

In September 2016, Pakistan International Airlines announced plans to replace Manchester on their Islamabad - Manchester - New York City route with Leipzig/Halle in 2017 to lower operational costs and save time. As the airline holds Fifth Freedom rights, this would have been Leipzig/Halle's first passenger service to the United States.[9] In October 2017, the airline announced it would end all routes to the United States, so plans to use Leipzig as a layover to New York-JFK never came to be.[10]

In October 2016, DHL inaugurated a major expansion to its freight facilities at the airport. Two new cargo terminals increased handling capacity by 50 percent.[11]

As of April 2018, the largest passenger airline at Leipzig/Halle Airport measured by weekly departures is Condor with 55 outgoing flights per week. For this purpose, three Airbus A321 aircraft are stationed at the airport. The second-largest airline was Small Planet Airlines (Germany) with 18 outgoing flights per week. The airline stationed an Airbus A320 aircraft to serve several leisure destinations for TUI Group.[12] It was followed by SunExpress Deutschland which operated 15 weekly departures and stationed for this a Boeing 737 aircraft at the airport.[13][14]

In August 2018, DHL announced further expansion of its facilities at the airport. Beside an enlargement of the apron, a new pilot training center was also planned. The number of employees was to increase from 5700 to 6000.[15] At the same time, EAT Leipzig announced that they would add five used Airbus A330 freighters to their fleet, for a total of 36 aircraft.[16] Also in August 2018, the Russian Volga-Dnepr Group announced plans to launch a new German freight subsidiary based at the airport.[17][18] As of 2021, there were up to 170 nighttime take offs and landings for cargo operations.[19]

In 2024, the airport holding and DHL extended an agreement for the latter to maintain a freight hub in Leipzig/Halle until at least 2053.[20]

In October 2024, Ryanair announced the termination of all routes at three German airports including Leipzig/Halle, citing high operational costs.[21]

Facilities

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General plan of the airport

Terminal

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The modern airport terminal structure extends over the adjacent motorway and railway. It integrates the main car park as well as the check-in-facilities and is connected to a pier equipped with six jet bridges as well as several apron stands. Due to its compact design, it provides short walking distances. The airport terminal has immigration facilities for international flights but no international transfer area.

Runways

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The airport has two runways. Terminal access is south of the railway. Runway 08L/26R runs parallel to the road north of the railway, requiring aircraft to taxi on a bridge over the tracks and roads.

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Leipzig/Halle Airport:[22]

AirlinesDestinations
Air Cairo[23][24] Hurghada
Austrian Airlines Vienna[25]
Condor[26] Agadir,[27] Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife–South
Seasonal: Antalya,[28] Chania,[29] Corfu, Faro,[29] Heraklion,[30][31] Jerez de la Frontera,[27] Kos, Lanzarote,[32] Rhodes
Corendon Airlines Antalya
Seasonal: Gazipaşa,[33] Hurghada[34]
European Air Charter Seasonal charter: Burgas,[35] Varna[citation needed]
Eurowings Düsseldorf,[36] Palma de Mallorca
Freebird Airlines[37] Seasonal: Antalya
Seasonal charter: Burgas, Corfu, Fuerteventura
Lufthansa Frankfurt,[38] Munich
Nouvelair Seasonal: Djerba, Monastir[39]
Pegasus Airlines Antalya
Ryanair London–Stansted[40]
SmartLynx Airlines Seasonal charter: Dubai-Al Maktoum,[41] Hurghada,[42] Marsa Alam[43]
Smartwings Seasonal charter: Abu Dhabi[44]
Sundair Seasonal: Antalya[39]
SunExpress Antalya
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Wizz Air Bucharest–Otopeni,[45] Tirana[46]

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
AeroLogic[47] Bahrain, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Bengaluru, Brussels, Chennai, Chicago–O'Hare, Cincinnati, Cologne/Bonn, Dallas, Delhi, Dubai–International, East Midlands, Frankfurt, Guadalajara, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Mumbai, New York–JFK, Seattle/Tacoma, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenzhen,[48] Singapore, Stavanger, Tashkent, Tokyo–Narita, Toronto–Pearson
Amazon Air[49] Cologne/Bonn, East Midlands, Katowice, Madrid, Milan–Malpensa
DHL Aviation[50][51] Almaty, Amsterdam, Athens, Bahrain, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Basel/Mulhouse, Belgrade, Bengaluru, Bergamo, Bologna, Bratislava, Brno, Brussels, Budapest, Cincinnati, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dubai–International, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Gdańsk, Geneva, Helsinki, Ho Chi Minh City,[52] Hong Kong, Istanbul, Katowice, Kyiv–Boryspil, Lagos, Lahore, Linz, Ljubljana, London–Heathrow, London–Luton, Los Angeles, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Milan–Malpensa, Miami, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Mumbai, Munich, Nantes, New York–JFK, Oslo, Ostrava, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Pisa, Riga, Rome–Ciampino, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Shannon, Sharjah, Singapore, Skopje, Sofia, Stockholm–Arlanda, Stuttgart, Tashkent, Tel Aviv, Treviso, Turku, Vilnius, Vitoria, Warsaw–Chopin
MNG Airlines[53][54] Cologne/Bonn, Istanbul, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen

Military

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Some US airlines have flown to Leipzig/Halle on behalf of the US Department of Defense, to bring US Army troops and US Marines to Afghanistan and Iraq. Leipzig/Halle is used as a technical stop for refueling on these flights.[55] They do not appear at any official timetable. Marines and soldiers flown via Leipzig/Halle are listed as transit passengers in its traffic statistics. Military charter flights are also operated via Leipzig/Halle, e. g. on behalf of the NATO.[6]

Statistics

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Concourse connecting the check-in and airside areas
 
Cargo facilities
 
Control tower
 
Taxiway crossing the Autobahn
Annual passenger traffic at LEJ airport. See Wikidata query.
Passengers Movements Freight (in t)
1990 274,878 9,549 366
1991   634,424   26,089   4,372
1992   1,073,378   42,960   8,611
1993   1,521,436   48,510   17,482
1994   1,901,797   52,590   23,189
1995   2,104,822   53,807   25,225
1996   2,186,649   50,298   22,410
1997   2,248,852   47,284   17,220
1998   2,108,779   43,778   12,866
1999   2,162,769   47,944   15,220
2000   2,288,931   47,030   17,086
2001   2,185,130   42,408   15,799
2002   1,988,854   41,209   16,882
2003   1,955,070   40,303   17.559
2004   2,041,046   39,316   12,575
2005   2,127,895   37,905   15,641
2006   2,348,011   42,417   29,330
2007   2,723,000   50,972   101,364
2008   2,462,256   59,924   442,453
2009   2,421,382   60,150   524,082
2010   2,348,597   62,247   663,024
2011   2,266,743   64,097   760,344
2012   2,286,151   62,688   863,665
2013   2,240,860   61,668   887,101
2014   2,331,399   63,569   910,708
2015   2,321,975   65,061   988,240
2016[56]   2,192,145   64,492   1,052,372
2017[57]   2,365,141   69,815   1,138,477
2018[58]   2,571,119   79,218   1,221,429
2019[59]   2,618,772   78,980   1,238,343
2020[60]   530,221   64,483   1,383,485
2021[61]   667,784   76,104   1,591,618
2022   1,558,602   80,902   1,510,575
2023   2,101,425   80,536   1,393,747
Source: Leipzig/Halle Airport Traffic statistics[62]

Ground transportation

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Train

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Leipzig/Halle Airport railway station

Leipzig/Halle Airport railway station is located directly under the passenger terminal and has Intercity connections on the Dresden-Magdeburg-Hanover-Cologne route. Two lines of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland connect directly to Leipzig and Halle, and onwards to Altenburg and Zwickau with connections to most parts of Central Germany.

Car

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The airport is connected to two motorways: the A14 connecting to Dresden (130 km), Halle (20 km) and Magdeburg (130 km), and the A9 connecting to Munich (430 km), Nuremberg (280 km), and Berlin (180 km).

Coach

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Flixbus connects in both directions twice per day to Dresden, Göttingen, and Kassel and once per day to Dortmund and Cologne.

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The airport's facilities have been featured in major films and TV shows during recent years:

  • In December 2004, Leipzig/Halle Airport was a filming location for Flightplan starring Jodie Foster and Peter Sarsgaard.[63] According to the film, Jodie Foster's flight departs from Berlin but all shots showing Berlin's supposed airport were actually taken at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
  • In 2010, the check-in area of Leipzig/Halle was a filming location for Unknown starring Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger.[64]
  • The airport's terminal and apron were featured heavily in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's live-action film Captain America: Civil War (2016). Branded equipment featuring the airport's logo was shown several times during the scenes.
  • The airport's hallway between the check-in area and the public departure/arrival area was featured in the Netflix series Inventing Anna, which tells the story of Anna Sorokin.[65] In the series, an American journalist flies to Berlin to conduct research on Anna's upbringing for her next article but all airport scenes were shot at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 1 September 1975, Interflug Flight 1107 crashed on approach to the airport when the Tupolev TU-134 descended too quickly, not following the proper approach path, while the crew failed to monitor their altitude, leading to a CFIT. 27 of the 34 people on board perished.[66]

Criticism

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The airport is owned by the Mitteldeutsche Flughafen Holding AG, a state-owned enterprise. According to public records for 2005 to 2014, its operating losses totalled almost 570 million € and from 2000 to 2020 they were 800 million €.[19] The main reason for the losses have been take-off and landing fees, which do not cover operating costs. DHL has been profiting from these low prices; its particular subsidy DHL-Hub Leipzig GmbH does not publish its own figures, but as part of the DHL Express division, it has been making profits for many years, with 2.04 billion in 2019 alone.[19]

Residents in the Saale district have been complaining about the noise pollution for years and have been asking to adapt start and landing fees, pricing up night flights.[67][68]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Amazon launches its first Amazon Air regional hub in Europe". 5 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Leipzig/Halle erhält zwei AN-124-Anbieter". airliners.de.
  3. ^ Höhne, Steffen (3 November 2016). "Nato vergibt Auftrag: Antonovs bleiben am Flughafen Halle/Leipzig stationiert". Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.
  4. ^ "ADV Monthly Traffic Report 12/2022" (PDF; 919 KB). adv.aero (in German). Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen e.V. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  5. ^ "AIP VFR online". dfs.de. DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b "www.german-foreign-policy.com". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Ryanair streicht fast alle Flugziele ab Leipzig/Halle". 10 January 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  8. ^ "Etihad Regional zieht sich komplett aus Deutschland zurück". airliners.de. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  9. ^ aero.de - "Pakistan International Airlines connects Leipzig and New York" (German) 10 September 2016
  10. ^ "Ausgeträumt: Direktverbindung Leipzig - New York endgültig vom Tisch". LVZ - Leipziger Volkszeitung.
  11. ^ aero.de - "DHL opens new terminals at Leipzig/Halle Airport" (German) 12 October 2016
  12. ^ "Small Planet Airlines". www.smallplanet.aero. 14 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Neue Ziele: Sun Express stationiert Flugzeug in Leipzig/Halle". airliners.de.
  14. ^ "Flughafen Leipzig/Halle - Unternehmen > Newsroom > Pressemitteilungen > Neuigkeiten im Sommerflugplan 2018 > Neuigkeiten im Sommerflugplan 2018". www.leipzig-halle-airport.de.
  15. ^ "DHL baut Leipzig/Halle kräftig aus: Post-Tochter plant künftig mehr Flüge am Airport". Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. 29 August 2018.
  16. ^ "DHL kauft fünf Airbus A330 von Etihad". airliners.de.
  17. ^ "CargoLogic Germany Ante Portas". CargoForwarder Global. 26 August 2018.
  18. ^ "Volga-Dnepr Group's new German unit to launch with B737s". ch-aviation.
  19. ^ a b c Julke, Ralf (9 April 2021). "Frachtfliegerei auf Steuerzahlerkosten: Startentgelte am Flughafen Leipzig/Halle decken nicht mal die Betriebskosten" (in German). Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  20. ^ lvz.de (German) 18 July 2024
  21. ^ derstandard.de - "Ryanair terminates entire operations in Dortmund, Dresden and Leipzig" (German) 10 October 2024
  22. ^ "mdf-ag.com - Flightsearch". Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Flight plan". sunexpress.com.
  24. ^ "Egypt's Air Cairo, SunExpress ink cooperation agreement". ch-aviation.com. 8 March 2021.
  25. ^ "Austrian Outlines Leased BRA ATR72 NS24 Operations". Aeroroutes.
  26. ^ "Timetable".
  27. ^ a b "CONDOR NS24 EUROPE NETWORK ADDITIONS – 06AUG23".
  28. ^ "CONDOR EXPANDS ANTALYA NETWORK IN NS23".
  29. ^ a b "Condor schedule - summer 2023" (PDF).
  30. ^ "MARABU AIRLINES OUTLINES NS23 NETWORK".
  31. ^ "Flughafen Leipzig-Halle: Condor schickt den Marabu nach Heraklion - nordsachsen24.de".
  32. ^ "CONDOR EXPANDS LANZAROTE NETWORK IN NW23".
  33. ^ "Corendon Airlines Adds Gazipasa – Germany Routes in Oct 2024". AeroRoutes. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  34. ^ "CORENDON AIRLINES NW22 SCHEDULED SERVICE ADJUSTMENT – 20OCT22". aeroroutes.com. 20 October 2022.
  35. ^ "Flug Leipzig/Halle - Burgas ab 120 € | billige Flüge buchen bei idealo".
  36. ^ "Eurowings Resumes Dusseldorf – Leipzig Service in NS24".
  37. ^ "Tui sends Freebird Europe to Leipzig / Halle - Airbus A320 is stationed in Schkeuditz". lvz.de. 4 October 2019.
  38. ^ "THAI Expands Lufthansa European Codeshare Service from late-July 2024".
  39. ^ a b "Summer 2023 schedule - Dresden and Leipzig" (PDF).
  40. ^ "Neu ab Flughafen Leipzig/Halle: Mit Ryanair direkt und günstig nach London und Dublin".
  41. ^ "Smartlynx Airlines NW23 Leipzig/Halle Operations".
  42. ^ "Smartlynx Airlines NW23 Leipzig/Halle Operations".
  43. ^ "Smartlynx Airlines NW23 Leipzig/Halle Operations".
  44. ^ "Smartwings adds Germany - Abu Dhabi regular charters from mid-Oct 2023". AeroRoutes. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  45. ^ "Planurile Wizz Air pentru România: Două noi avioane la București, o nouă rută și creșterea frecvențelor pe 21 de rute". 3 October 2023.
  46. ^ "Wizzair shton dy avionë të rinj! Nga Tirana edhe dy linja të reja, Valencia dhe Laipzig".
  47. ^ aerologic.aero retrieved 22 January 2021
  48. ^ "New air freight route links China, Germany".
  49. ^ Brett, Damian. "Amazon confirms the launch of European airfreight operations". www.aircargonews.net. Retrieved 27 October 2020.[title missing]
  50. ^ "Flughafen Leipzig/Halle - Business and partners > Cargo > Location > Airlines > Airlines". www.leipzig-halle-airport.de.
  51. ^ aviationcargo.dhl.com - Destinations served retrieved 4 September 2022
  52. ^ "AeroLogic 3S621 (BOX621) from Ho Chi Minh City to Frankfurt". 4 January 2022.
  53. ^ "MNG AIRLINES – SERVICES". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  54. ^ "MNG Airlines - Services". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  55. ^ dubisthalle.de (German) 20 June 2016
  56. ^ "Flughafen Leipzig/Halle und Dresden hatten 2016 weniger Passagiere". airportzentrale.de.
  57. ^ "Flughafen Leipzig/Halle - Unternehmen > Newsroom > Pressemitteilungen > Verkehrsentwicklung der Flughäfen Leipzig/Halle und Dresden im Jahr 2017 > Verkehrsentwicklung der Flughäfen Leipzig/Halle und Dresden im Jahr 2017". www.leipzig-halle-airport.de. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  58. ^ "Flughafen Leipzig/Halle | Unternehmen > Newsroom > Pressemitteilungen > Verkehrsentwicklung der Flughäfen Leipzig/Halle und Dresden im Jahr 2018: Zuwächse im Passagierverkehr – Frachtanstieg in Leipzig/Halle > Verkehrsentwicklung der Flughäfen Leipzig/Halle und Dresden im Jahr 2018: Zuwächse im Passagierverkehr – Frachtanstieg in Leipzig/Halle". Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  59. ^ "Flughafen Leipzig/Halle | Unternehmen > Newsroom > Pressemitteilungen > Verkehrszahlen 2019: LEJ mit Frachtrekord und mehr Passagieren, DRS nach Germania-Aus im Minus > Verkehrszahlen 2019: LEJ mit Frachtrekord und mehr Passagieren, DRS nach Germania-Aus im Minus". Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  60. ^ ADV-Monatsstatistik 12/2020 [ADV Monthly Traffic Report 12/2020] (PDF) (Report). Flughafenverband ADV. pp. 12–13.
  61. ^ ADV-Monatsstatistik Dezember 2021 [ADV Monthly Traffic Report December 2021] (PDF) (Report). Flughafenverband ADV. pp. 12–13.
  62. ^ "Leipzig/Halle Airport Traffic statistics". Archived from the original on 19 September 2011.
  63. ^ RP ONLINE. "'Flightplan'-Arbeit am Flughafen: Jodie Foster dreht in Leipzig". RP ONLINE. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  64. ^ LVZ-Online. "Hollywood fliegt erneut auf Leipzig". Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  65. ^ ""Inventing Anna": Reise zu den Drehorten der Serie". 8 March 2022.
  66. ^ "Accident synopsis, Tupolev Tu-134 DM-SCD". Aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  67. ^ Julke, Ralf (10 April 2024). "Defizitärer Flughafen Leipzig/Halle: Bürgerinitiativen fordern eine neue Flughafenentgeltordnung" (in German). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  68. ^ mdr.de (8 June 2022). "Ausbau des Flughafen Leipzig/Halle: Mehr Fluglärm in Halle erwartet" (in German). Retrieved 3 May 2024.
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