Hannover Airport opened in Langenhagen in 1952, replacing an airfield situated within the 1952 city limits of Hanover. In 1973 two modern passenger terminals opened as terminals A and B that, as of 2023[update], are still in service. Known for their compact design, Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow was modelled after them.
In the 1990s, trials of intercontinental services to the United States and Canada were stopped due to low passenger numbers.
Terminal C, the largest of the three passenger terminals, was opened in 1998 to handle more passengers, adding 8 more boarding gates and 3 bus departure gates. Up to 33 aircraft can be handled simultaneously, of which 20 can use aircraft stands equipped with a Jetway. All three terminals are capable of handling a Boeing 747.
An S-Bahn connection was established between the airport and Hamelin via Hanover central station in 2000. This replaced the airport's shuttle bus service. While the bus service ran more frequently than the S-Bahn (it ran every 20 minutes), it also took longer to travel between the airport and central station. The train service was extended to Paderborn in 2003.
TUIfly, which maintains a base at Hannover Airport, reduced services heavily in 2008 and 2009, and late in 2009 passed all of its non-traditional holiday routes to now defunct Air Berlin. In 2010, Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings made Hannover their sixth base in Germany, launching 16 new routes.[4] In March 2017, Air Berlin ceased all of its services and operations at Hannover, over half a year before becoming completely defunct as a company in October.
Hannover Airport has struggled to generate increased demand in recent years, possibly due to not being able to attract Europe's low-cost carriers to the airport. In addition, new routes from established legacy carriers with their hubs were not able to sustain themselves, as seen with Aer Lingus,[5]airBaltic,[6]Finnair,[7]Brussels Airlines,[8]Iberia,[9]LOT Polish Airlines,[10] and TAP Air Portugal.[11] Although traffic grew satisfactorily during the late 1990s, there has been little improvement since. In both 2007 and 2008, traffic was down less than 1%, but in 2009 it fell by almost 12%.[4] Hannover Airport is one of the very few airports in Germany that are open 24 hours a day, but only a few passenger and cargo flights operate at Hannover between 11 PM and 4 AM.
In September 2006 the general aviation terminal, located near the middle runway, was renamed to 'Karl Jatho Terminal' in honour of Hanoverian aviation pioneer Karl Jatho.[12]
Terminals
The landside areas of Hannover Airport's three passenger terminals A, B, and C (each with shops, restaurants, and travel agents) are interconnected, but each terminal also has its own, separate, airside area with further facilities. Terminals A and B each have six boarding gates equipped with jet bridges, while terminal C has eight of them.[13] Additional bus gates are available in each concourse. Terminal A underwent a major refurbishment from April 2013, reopening on 9 July 2014.[14][15]
Hannover Flughafen railway station is located beneath terminal C and features frequent services of Hanover S-Bahn line S5 to the city centre of Hanover. The service runs every 30 minutes for 22 hours a day, and takes approximately 17 minutes. During important fairs like the Hanover Fair, additional hourly services of Hanover S-Bahn line S8 link the airport with the Hanover fairground.[39]
Bus
The 470 bus runs directly from the Langenhagen-Zentrum station to Hannover Airport.
Car
Hannover Airport has its own exit on autobahn A352, but can also be reached via local roads. Approximately 14,000 parking spaces are available.
On 26 May 1988, a Fokker F-27 Friendship operated byStar Air A/S crashed on approach to Hannover when the flaps were fully extended and the aircraft pitched up violently causing a cargo shift. Both occupants died.[41]
