Location and history

Basel-Mulhouse (EuroAirport) Airport is a public corporation in accordance with the provisions of international law, and is situated on French territory. A treaty between France and Switzerland dating from 1949 ensures that the airport enjoys a fully bi-national status that makes it unique throughout the world. The airport is situated entirely on French territory and has a separate Swiss customs sector that is linked to Basel via a controlled access road.

EuroAirport is a vital motor for economic development in the Upper Rhine region and for the four million French, German and Swiss citizens who live less than an hour’s drive away. For companies operating in the region and using the comprehensive range of air services available on their doorstep, EuroAirport is a significant factor in business development. Switzerland accounts for approximately 48 percent of the airport’s local customers, while France and Germany each account for 26 percent. But of course the airport is also an important selling factor for the local tourism sector as well as for trade fairs and exhibitions in the region.

EuroAirport is one of the biggest employers in the Upper Rhine region alongside the pharmaceuticals and chemistry industries in Basel and the Peugeot assembly plants in Mulhouse. More than 6,000 people work in 130 airport-based companies, while the number of indirect jobs is probably as much as three times higher.

Infrastructure and capacity

EuroAirport has two intersecting runways. The north-south runway (15/33) is the one that is most frequently used. It is 3,900 metres in length and is able to accommodate all types of aircraft. Thanks to instrument landing systems (ILS 15 and ILS 33), the airport can be approached from the north as well as from the south in all weather conditions. The intersecting runway (26/08) is 1,820 metres in length.

In the period from 1998 to 2005, the terminal infrastructure was expanded at a cost of around 230 million euros. The expansion programme encompassed a Y-shaped dock with 24 aircraft stands, plus expansions of the terminal to the north and the south, as well as new approach roads with underground parking facilities. Thanks to the new infrastructure, EuroAirport can now handle 8 million passengers a year.

Strategic focus

EuroAirport has played an important role in cross-border co-operation in the region for the past 60 years. It is Switzerland’s third national airport and France’s fifth-largest regional airport, and offers direct scheduled and charter flights, as well as intercontinental connections via Europe’s main hub airports. As the gateway to the Upper Rhine region, it promotes tourism throughout the whole border area between France, Switzerland and Germany. EuroAirport has succeeded in positioning itself as efficient and attractively priced.

In the near future it intends to implement its freight strategy: the construction of a hall for handling goods that are temperature-sensitive (e.g. pharmaceuticals), plus a building that is designed specifically to meet the requirements for handling express freight. Longer-term plans include direct connections between the airport and the railway network.

Projects / outlook

In November 2007 the foundations were laid for the expansion of the zone to the south, which has provided premises for three companies specialising in aircraft maintenance and overhaul: Jet Aviation, AMAC Aerospace and Air Service Basel. This move means that EuroAirport has strengthened its profile as an internationally recognised competence centre in this area, and created the conditions for additional jobs for highly-qualified personnel. In addition to passenger and freight transport, this business area is rapidly becoming another important factor in the development of EuroAirport.

Airport layout
(not for operational & aeronautical use / no official publication)