Stuttgart Airport is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year – an occasion that highlights not only the airport’s impressive development, but also its central role for the Baden-Württemberg region.
The anniversary celebration, which took place on Thursday evening in an aircraft hangar, attracted around 700 guests from the fields of politics, business, aviation and sport. The event offered the opportunity to look back at both the airport's eventful past and its ambitious plans for the future. Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann, Transport Minister Winfried Hermann and other prominent speakers underlined the airport's importance as a transport hub, international employer and pioneer in the field of sustainable travel.
A look into the past
The history of Stuttgart Airport officially began on November 15, 1924 with the founding of Luftverkehr Württemberg AG (LUWAG). The aviation company at the time began operations at Cannstatter Wasen before moving to the newly built airfield in Böblingen in 1939. With the increasing importance of aviation and the increasing number of passengers, the location developed rapidly. Finally, in 1948, the current location on the Fildern near Leinfelden-Echterdingen was inaugurated - the beginning of the modern era of Stuttgart Airport.
Since then, the airport has grown and modernized steadily. Today, Stuttgart Airport (STR) is an international airport that handles millions of passengers every year and is of central importance for the region. The airport has developed from a regional airfield into an important European transport hub and is now also a significant economic factor for Baden-Württemberg. In addition to passenger traffic, freight traffic is playing an increasingly important role, as the airport functions as a logistics hub for Baden-Württemberg as an export location.
Focus on cosmopolitanism and climate protection
In his speech, Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann highlighted the airport's central role as a "gateway to prosperity" for the export-oriented state of Baden-Württemberg. He stressed that cosmopolitanism and climate protection go hand in hand at Stuttgart Airport. The STR is not only a place where people of dozens of nationalities work together, but also a pioneer in the field of sustainable airport technologies. One of the airport's ambitious goals is to become completely climate-neutral by 2040. This is to be achieved, among other things, by using an electric vehicle fleet and the use of clean ground power. Kretschmann emphasized that the airport is not only a place of Baden-Württemberg's history, but also plays a central role in the state's future.
Winfried Hermann, Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Transport and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH (FSG), also emphasized the airport's progress towards becoming a climate-friendly transport hub. He pointed out that over the past ten years the airport has continuously relied on climate-friendly technologies in order to meet the requirements of sustainable travel. For the airport, intermodality, i.e. the combination of different means of transport, is a key concept for making mobility in the future more environmentally friendly. Hermann sees the diversity and sustainability at the Stuttgart location as a positive sign for the future of the airport and the entire country.
The way to the future: innovation and responsibility
In his speech, Ulrich Heppe, spokesman for the management of Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH, emphasized the pioneering role of the airport over the last 100 years. The airport has developed from a visionary idea into an indispensable infrastructure that connects millions of people with the world. "Our journey began a century ago with a visionary idea that has developed into an indispensable infrastructure for millions of people. We are proud of what we have achieved and look forward to continuing to make our contribution to mobility and innovation and connecting Baden-Württemberg with the world in the decades to come," said Heppe.
Carsten Poralla, Managing Director of FSG, also emphasized the airport's responsibility for the future. Over the last 100 years, the task of operating an airport has changed fundamentally. Today, the airport not only serves the regional economy, but also has a responsibility towards the environment. Poralla emphasized that the airport is continuously working to become more environmentally and climate-friendly. The future of the airport will be shaped by how it succeeds in combining mobility and climate protection.
A year full of celebrations
Stuttgart Airport's anniversary year will be accompanied by a series of events. This weekend, for example, a large Campus Open Air event will take place on the airport grounds, with thousands of employees from numerous companies and authorities expected to attend.
In November, the airport will also invite the general public to a suitcase auction with an extensive supporting program in the terminals. This event has been extremely popular in recent years and is now being held again for the first time since the Corona pandemic to mark the airport's anniversary.
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