Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport will celebrate its 10th anniversary on September 2021, 50. The airport, the establishment of which is closely associated with the computer pioneer Heinz Nixdorf, opens on September 10, 1971.

On that day, the first aircraft took off from the then brand-new airport. At that time, Paderborn was the fourth regional airport in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. At the beginning everything was a bit spartan, because the airport was built in just five months. The runway was originally 1.150 meters long.

The first flight was preceded two years earlier by the establishment of Regionalflughafen Südost-Westfalen GmbH, which at that time was supported by seven districts. Paderborn / Lippstadt Airport has grown steadily, so that larger and larger aircraft can take off and land from here.

Other central events were the opening of the operations building and the start of scheduled air traffic to Frankfurt (1975), the expansion of the runway to 2.180 meters with the start of the Mallorca connection (1988), the completion of a new arrival terminal and the pier facility ( 2001) as well as the new construction of the Quax hangar with shipyard hall, glass showroom and viewing terrace (2011).

“In 1969, our founding fathers laid the foundation for flight operations to start in 1971. Then as now, our airport fulfills a central function in the transport infrastructure for the regions of East Westphalia-Lippe and Southeast Westphalia. We are very pleased with the positive development that we have been able to take with our airport over the course of this year. In this respect, we look forward to the further development of flight operations in the coming years, ”emphasizes Managing Director Roland Hüser.

Heinz Nixdorf is considered to be the chief lobbyist for the airport's establishment

The fact that Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport was built at all is also thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneur Heinz Nixdorf. The company headquarters of the then leading company Nixdorf Computer was in Paderborn. The businessman was bothered by the fact that he and his employees always had to travel to Düsseldorf or Cologne for business trips. He was also of the opinion that his computers could be flown to customers from Paderborn more quickly.

He tirelessly exerted pressure on local politics and demanded the construction of a separate airport for Westphalia. Today this would be called “lobbying”. After some time and threats with the withdrawal of production - Nixdorf Computer was by far the largest employer in the region - the politicians agreed and the Paderborn Lippstadt Airport was launched. Nixdorf Computer no longer exists in its former form, but the airport has been expanded and modernized over the decades.