Over the last year, Ryanair has expanded its network of budget destinations across Europe, particularly in Germany. Previously, Frankfurt-Hahn was the only destination in this country, but now you have a wider choice, especially in what used to be East Germany, as Berlin Schönefeld, Erfurt ... Read review
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Advantages: Very small - no queues or waiting around Disadvantages: Very small - few facilities and still not many flights!
Over the last year, Ryanair has expanded its network of budget destinations across Europe, particularly in Germany. Previously, Frankfurt-Hahn was the only destination in this country, but now you have a wider choice, especially in what used to be East Germany, as Berlin Schönefeld, Erfurt and now Altenburg have been added to the routes available.
Altenburg is in fact listed on the Ryanair website as Leipzig-Altenburg and (somewhat ... ...not too far from the city it is advertised as serving! Leipzig is about 20 miles to the north, while destinations such as Chemnitz and Dresden are also not a massive distance away. The transport connections are good too – Altenburg itself lies within a sort of motorway triangle, as the main north-south (Nuremberg-Leipzig-Berlin) and east-west (Dresden-Frankfurt) routes pass within 20 miles to the south and west of the airfield.
Over the last year, Ryanair has expanded its network of budget destinations across Europe, particularly in Germany. Previously, Frankfurt-Hahn was the only destination in this country, but now you have a wider choice, especially in what used to be East Germany, as Berlin Schönefeld, Erfurt and now Altenburg have been added to the routes available.
Altenburg is in fact listed on the Ryanair website as Leipzig-Altenburg and (somewhat surprisingly, given that Hahn is miles from Frankfurt) it is not too far from the city it is advertised as serving! Leipzig is about 20 miles to the north, while destinations such as Chemnitz and Dresden are also not a massive distance away. The transport connections are good too – Altenburg itself lies within a sort of motorway triangle, as the main north-south (Nuremberg-Leipzig-Berlin) and east-west (Dresden-Frankfurt) routes pass within 20 miles to the south and west of the airfield.
However, as the official name of the airfield (Altenburg-Nobitz) suggests, it is not situated directly in Altenburg itself, but out in the countryside, a kilometre or so outside the village of Nobitz. The signposts are good from all directions, with either an aircraft sign or the name of the airfield on most road signs - but make sure you look out for other signs attached to fences or gates at the side of the road, as the entrance to the airfield is not immediately obvious from the main road, and depending on the direction you are coming from, you have to follow signs through Klausa before reaching the airfield.
Although this is just a small airport, there are plenty of parking spaces outside the terminal building, enough to deal with the current number of flights at least – and parking is free too, which is always a bonus. Public transport is decent as well, as Altenburg station is on a main commuter line out of Leipzig, with connections to Zwickau, Gera, Plauen, Weimar and Hof. There is also a bus service from the train station to the airfield, with connections timed to meet the incoming Ryanair flights from Stansted. If you want to take a taxi or hire a car, this is possible too – there are car rental desks at the front of the terminal buildings, alongside a taxi rank and an information desk with various phone numbers and brochures to give you more information about the area.
The terminal building is tiny – until recently this was just a regional airfield, unknown to most people outside the area... but then Ryanair came to town! When you enter the terminal, the info desks and a small cafe are to your right, while the check-in desks are clearly visible on the left. As there are so few flights (and therefore few passengers milling around), check-in is very quick. Passport control and the hand luggage security scans are very thorough, which is no bad thing, and there are plenty of seats in the departure lounge. There is also a small shop, selling a tiny range of cigarettes, spirits and chocolate while you wait – and the aircraft taxi to a halt directly outside the terminal, meaning you don’t have a long walk when boarding.
All in all, this is a decent little airport – with little being the operative word. It is currently only Ryanair who operate a scheduled service to Altenburg, but the airport website (www.flugplatz-altenburg.de) also features the Sky Europe logo, which could suggest a deal in the offing with the budget airline for Central Europe. This would definitely be a good thing for the area in economic terms, helping to put the name of the town on the map and bringing tourists in to Altenburg, Leipzig and the surrounding towns. Whether the airfield could cope with increased passenger numbers without extending the terminal buildings is open to question, but currently, a flight to Altenburg-Nobitz is a handy (and cheap) way to see this area of Germany – and definitely a very different experience if you’re only used to Europe’s major airports!
