Merzbrück Airport (German: Flugplatz Merzbrück) (IATA: AAH, ICAO: EDKA) is an airfield located in Aachen, Germany.[1] It is also known as Aachen-Merzbrück Airport (Aachen-Flugplatz Merzbrück).

The airport primarily supports general aviation, and also has a very large sailplane facility.

The ADAC Air Rescue Service provides the air rescue helicopter Christoph Europa 1 for urgent medical rescues and air ambulance duties at Merzbrück Airport.

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History

The airport was built about 1932 as a grass airfield, and throughout the 1930s was used by small light aircraft.

With the outbreak of World War II, Merzbrück was used by the Luftwaffe, with IV.(Stuka)/LG 1 and I./St.G. 77 of Lehrgeschwader 1, equipped with Junkers Ju 87s during the first week of the Belgian Campaign in May 1940. After the Battle of France in June ended, the airfield was little used by the military or general aviation.[2]

In January 1945, as a result of the Western Allied invasion of Germany, United States Army forces moved though the Aachen area and captured Merzbrück Airport about 29 January. In February combat engineers of the 818th Engineering Aviation Battalion arrived and laid down a 5000' Pierced Steel Planking metal runway down on the grass airfield aligned 05/23 for use by combat aircraft, and the airport was designated as Advanced Landing Ground "Y-46 Aachen".[3] The Americans used the airport for P-47 Thunderbolt combat operations until the middle of April 1945, and the airport was closed on 11 May 1945.[4][5]

After the war, the airport was not used for many years as the reconstruction of Germany was underway. Eventually the wartime steel runway put down by the Americans during the war was removed, and the airfield was rebuilt with an all-weather asphalt runway. taxiways, and both concrete and grass aircraft parking areas. A parallel grass runway is also available. Today, Merzbrück Airport is a modern, well-equipped airport.

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Auf dem Landweg:

Anfahrt über A4:

Aus Richtung Köln oder Maastricht: Abfahrt Eschweiler (Nr.5), rechts Richtung Eschweiler, nach ca.300m an der Kreuzung (Mc Donalds) nach rechts auf B264 Richtung Würselen Merzbrück.

Anfahrt über A44:

Aus Richtung Düsseldorf oder Lüttich:
Neue Abfahrt Broichweiden, als Nr.5a in der Skizze gekennzeichnet, dann der Beschilderung "Flugplatz" folgen, nach ca.150 Metern sehen Sie rechts die Einfahrt zum Flugplatz.

Die Haupteinfahrt zum Flugplatz und zur Flugschule ist das blaue Doppeltor an der B264. Die Einfahrt zum Segelflug befindet sich ca. 200 Meter weiter unmittelbar am Bahnübergang.

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Flugplatz Aachen-Merzbrück GmbH

Merzbrück 216,
52146 Würselen

Tel. 02405/73597
Fax. 02405/73390

EMail: Betriebsleitung at flugplatz-aachen de

WWW: Aachen Merzbrück Airport

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2005.
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