The Düsseldorf Airport is the third-busiest in the country and serves Düsseldorf as well as the surrounding Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area which is one of the largest in the world which includes cities like Essen and Duisburg and has over 11 million inhabitants.
The airport was opened in 1927 and was extended extensively after the return to civilian use after World War II. Runways were extended and new terminals build. On 11 April 1996 the airport was the site of the worst airport fire to date. Caused by welding work on the roof, which set the underlying insulation on fire. The smoke and fire could spread fast resulting in the deaths of 17 people, hospitalization of 88 and over DM 1 billion in damages (about US$ 500 million). Terminals A and B had to be completely reconstructed which took several years. Only Terminal C was usable.
Most flights from Düsseldorf Airport are to Munich and to Istanbul but there are many more flights to other destinations as well, most of them by Pegasus Airlines. These are the most popular destinations from Düsseldorf Airport:
Munich (MUC)
Istanbul (ISTA)Antalya (AYT)
Amsterdam (AMS)Istanbul (ISTA)
Warsaw (WAWA)
Paris (PARA)Frankfurt (FRAA)
Belgrade (BEG)
Madrid (MAD)
Athens (ATH)
Cairo (CAI)
London (LONA)Izmir (ADB)
