Did you know Luxembourg Airport’s first terminal and control tower were wooden barracks?

Luxembourg Airport opened for business in 1946 with wooden barracks serving as its first terminal and control tower, according to the history published by its operator, lux-Airport. Even in those makeshift conditions it handled more than a thousand flights in that first year.

The Findel plateau had been picked by aviation pioneers in 1930. During the war it was occupied by German forces and used as an air base from 1940, and in 1944 the US Army used it to move supplies to the front. The field returned to Luxembourg’s control in 1945.

The post-war decades transformed the airfield. The first permanent terminal and the national carrier Luxembourg Airlines arrived in 1948, the main runway was extended to 2,830 metres and lit for night operations in 1954, and the airline was renamed Luxair in 1962. The first jet landed in 1963, Cargolux began operating from the airport in 1970 and the main runway was extended to 4,000 metres in 1984. The airport’s single runway was fully refurbished in 2021 and 2022, and in 2024 the airport recorded five million passengers.

For travellers, it is worth remembering that the airport relies on a single runway, so runway works can affect the whole schedule. Anyone flying to or from Luxembourg should check lux-Airport’s notices for any planned runway work before travelling.