Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Frankfurt-Egelsbach Airport (EDFE) is a general aviation and business aviation aerodrome in the Rhein-Main area of Hesse, Germany, close to Frankfurt Airport, and is reckoned to be the busiest regional airport for general aviation in the country. It has been operating since 1955, growing from a grass strip nicknamed the 'Texas Runway' into a modern facility handling more than 80,000 movements a year.
Frankfurt-Egelsbach Airport lies in the Rhein-Main economic region of Hesse, a short drive from the international Frankfurt Airport, and functions as the region's principal general and business aviation field. It has been in continuous operation since 1955 and today hosts more than 30 aviation-related companies, flight schools and clubs, with over 700 people working on site. For a sim pilot it offers a busy, varied general aviation environment right in the shadow of one of Europe's largest hub airports, including mixed fast-jet and slow-traffic operations on the same field.
Egelsbach sits in the Rhein-Main area between Frankfurt am Main, Offenbach am Main and Darmstadt, in the Egelsbach and Erzhausen local area, and is close to the busy airspace surrounding Frankfurt Airport. Pilots inbound to Egelsbach are within the wider Frankfurt terminal environment and can expect to be in contact with Langen Information for flight information service before transferring to the local AFIS.
Egelsbach has two physical runways. The main hard-surfaced runway, 08/26, is lit and has a landing length of 4583 ft available on runway 08 and 3815 ft on runway 26. A parallel grass runway, 08R/26L, is also lit and measures 2300 ft. There is no ILS at the airfield.
The field is served by AFIS on 119.15 MHz, with Langen Information providing flight information service on 118.405 MHz. Egelsbach Radio, covering the apron (Vorfeld), operates on 121.73 MHz.
Because of the wide variety of aircraft types using the airfield, from light training aircraft to business jets, Egelsbach operates separate visual departure and approach procedures for fast and slow traffic, a feature unique among German airfields. From 1 June 2024 a non-mandatory flight rule change procedure, developed with DFS, has also been available for Y approaches to runway 26, easing the transition from IFR to VFR; this attracts an additional charge from DFS on top of the normal landing fee.
The airfield lies between the towns of Frankfurt am Main, Offenbach am Main and Darmstadt, within the Rhein-Main conurbation, close to the international Frankfurt Airport, which serves as a prominent landmark for orientation on approach.
The airfield's origins go back to 1953, when the site was used by a model flying group for a competition. In 1955 the Hessischen Sport- und Verkehrsflugplatz GmbH was formed with municipal shareholders, and the grass strip earned the nickname 'Texas Runway'. In the first fully recorded year, 1956, more than 37,000 aircraft movements were logged, a third of them gliders, but glider operations were banned on safety grounds in 1961, making Egelsbach Germany's first motor-only general aviation airfield. By 1965 it had become the country's busiest airfield for powered aviation, and in 1966 a 900-metre concrete runway was opened, pushing annual movements above 100,000. The airfield's record year came in 1972, with more than 126,000 takeoffs and landings, though noise restrictions later required a reduction in training flights. The runway was extended to 1400 metres in 2004 for improved safety. TRIWO AG became the majority shareholder of the airport in January 2020.
Egelsbach continues to record more than 80,000 flight movements a year, making it the busiest regional general aviation airport in Germany. It is home to over 30 aviation-related companies, including flight schools, clubs and business aviation operators, employing more than 700 people on site. The airfield is approved for aircraft up to 20 tonnes and, alongside its long-established general aviation traffic, supports regional business aviation that helps relieve pressure on nearby Frankfurt Airport.
