Major Airports in Germany

Germany sits at the heart of Europe and runs one of the continent’s busiest and most decentralised aviation networks. Rather than funnelling everything through one mega-hub, the country spreads its traffic across a string of major airports — two big Lufthansa hubs at Frankfurt and Munich, a cluster of airports serving the densely populated Rhine-Ruhr region, and the rebuilt capital gateway at Berlin.

Below we map and rank Germany’s major airports by the number of nonstop destinations each one serves, drawn from live route data on AirportRoutes. Because the figures come from observed flight data — a large sample rather than a complete published timetable — we treat them as a strong guide to relative connectivity rather than exact, official totals.

Which German airports have direct flights to the US?

Long-haul flying in Germany is concentrated at the two Lufthansa hubs. Frankfurt is the country’s intercontinental powerhouse, with around 143 intercontinental destinations and nonstop links to roughly 15 cities in the United States — including New York, Newark, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Boston, Houston, Denver, Detroit and Orlando.

Munich adds nonstop service to about 11 US cities — among them Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Newark, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Charlotte and Washington. Beyond those two, long-haul is thin: Berlin Brandenburg has a single US route (United to Newark), and Cologne/Bonn‘s US links are mostly cargo, via UPS to Louisville and FedEx to Memphis.

In short: if you’re flying nonstop between Germany and the United States, you’re almost certainly using Frankfurt or Munich. Most other German airports focus on Europe, Turkey, North Africa and Mediterranean holiday routes.

A closer look at Germany’s biggest airports

✈️ Frankfurt (FRA)

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Opened in 1936 and now Germany’s busiest airport, Frankfurt is the global hub of Lufthansa and one of the busiest passenger and cargo airports in Europe. Sited in a forest about 12 km southwest of the city centre, it is a giant transfer hub with its own long-distance railway station, and a third passenger terminal is being added to its two existing ones.

Serving Frankfurt, FRA reaches about 220 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 143 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Lisbon, London.

Main airlines: Lufthansa, Condor, Discover Airlines, TUI fly, United. See the full route map for FRA on AirportRoutes →

🍺 Munich (MUC)

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Munich Airport opened in 1992, replacing the old Riem airport, and is named after former Bavarian premier Franz Josef Strauss. Lufthansa’s second hub, it is regularly rated among the best airports in the world and is the main gateway to Bavaria, the Alps and Oktoberfest.

Serving Munich, MUC reaches about 171 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 75 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Frankfurt, Hamburg, Lisbon, Palma de Mallorca, Berlin.

Main airlines: Lufthansa, Discover Airlines, Condor, City Airlines, TUI fly. See the full route map for MUC on AirportRoutes →

🏙️ Düsseldorf (DUS)

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Düsseldorf is Germany’s third-busiest airport and the main gateway to the Rhine-Ruhr, Europe’s largest metropolitan region by some measures. It serves the business and trade-fair traffic of North Rhine-Westphalia and is a key base for Eurowings.

Serving Düsseldorf, DUS reaches about 128 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 53 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Frankfurt, Palma de Mallorca, Munich, Madrid, Paris.

Main airlines: Eurowings, Condor, TUI fly, SunExpress, Lufthansa. See the full route map for DUS on AirportRoutes →

🐻 Berlin Brandenburg (BER)

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Berlin Brandenburg (BER) finally opened in October 2020 after one of Europe’s most notorious construction sagas — roughly nine years late. It replaced the city’s old Tegel and Schönefeld airports to become the single gateway to the German capital, and is dominated by low-cost carriers.

Serving Berlin, BER reaches about 107 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 43 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Munich, London, Istanbul.

Main airlines: Ryanair, easyJet, Eurowings, Sundair, Wizz Air. See the full route map for BER on AirportRoutes →

⛪ Cologne Bonn (CGN)

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Cologne Bonn, named after former chancellor Konrad Adenauer, is one of the few German airports open around the clock, which has made it a major freight hub — a key European base for UPS and FedEx. On the passenger side it is a stronghold of Eurowings and low-cost holiday traffic.

Serving Cologne, CGN reaches about 102 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 46 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Antalya, Istanbul, East Midlands, Bergamo, Berlin.

Main airlines: Eurowings, Ryanair, Smartwings, Pegasus Airlines, Condor. See the full route map for CGN on AirportRoutes →

🚗 Stuttgart (STR)

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Stuttgart is the main airport of Baden-Württemberg, in the heart of Germany’s car-making country — home to Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. Built on a plateau south of the city, it mixes business travel with a strong leisure and Turkish-route network.

Serving Stuttgart, STR reaches about 100 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 39 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Istanbul, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin.

Main airlines: Eurowings, TUI fly, SunExpress, Condor, Lufthansa. See the full route map for STR on AirportRoutes →

⚓ Hamburg (HAM)

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Hamburg Airport opened in 1911, making it the oldest airport in the world still operating from its original site. Named after the city’s former mayor and German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, it serves Germany’s biggest port city and sits near major Airbus assembly lines.

Serving Hamburg, HAM reaches about 100 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 24 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, Paris, Copenhagen.

Main airlines: Eurowings, Condor, Wizz Air, Marabu, Lufthansa. See the full route map for HAM on AirportRoutes →

🎪 Hannover (HAJ)

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Hannover Airport serves the capital of Lower Saxony and is best known as the air gateway to the city’s huge trade fairs, including the Hannover Messe — one of the world’s largest industrial expos. It carries a mix of business, leisure and charter traffic.

Serving Hannover, HAJ reaches about 44 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 29 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna, Istanbul.

Main airlines: TUI fly, Eurowings, Corendon Airlines, Lufthansa, SunExpress. See the full route map for HAJ on AirportRoutes →

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