Simple Flying
The World's Oldest Commercial Airport Has Been Operating Since 1911 As A Zeppelin Base
xCruzo Brief
Hamburg Airport (HAM) has been operating as a commercial aerodrome since January 1911, and is widely cited as the oldest continuously operating commercial airport in the world. Its origins weren’t airplane ticket sales but rigid airships. In March 1910, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin pitched the idea to Hamburg residents, leading investors to found Hamburger Luftschiffhallen GmbH on January 10, 1911, reserving about 111 acres (45 hectares) near Fuhlsbüttel for a hangar built to hold two Zeppelins. The hangar opened in 1912, with festival flights from the site. Two world wars and later military requisitions destroyed key infrastructure and reshaped the field’s use.
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