Cologne Bonn Airport — Köln (Cologne), Germany

Straddling the boundary between two cities on the Rhine, Cologne Bonn Airport serves both the cathedral city of Cologne and Bonn, the modest former capital of West Germany that still hosts a cluster of federal government offices. Terminal 2, designed by the British architect Norman Foster, added striking modern capacity alongside the airport's older facilities, while the field's role as a major European hub for Lufthansa Cargo and the logistics giant UPS keeps its runways busy through the night with freighters that noise-restricted airports cannot accommodate. The German air force's VIP transport squadron, which flies government ministers and the chancellor, is also based here, giving Cologne Bonn a governmental significance beyond its passenger numbers. Historically a base for low-cost carriers including the former Germanwings, the airport continues to mix leisure and business traffic with its considerable cargo operation. Its two runways and round-the-clock operating hours, unusual for a German airport, make it an important overflow and diversion field for the wider region.