Munich Airport — Munich, Germany

Munich Airport, operating under the code MUC and formally named for former Bavarian premier Franz Josef Strauss, opened in 1992 on former farmland northeast of the city, replacing the much smaller Munich-Riem airport that had reached its capacity limits. As Lufthansa's second-largest hub after Frankfurt, it anchors a dense network of connections across Europe and toward Asia, the Middle East, and North America, with two main terminals plus a satellite building handling the volume. The airport has cultivated a distinct identity beyond typical hub functions, including an on-site brewery and beer garden that lets travelers experience Bavarian tradition without leaving the terminal grounds, along with a visitor park popular with local families. Munich itself, Germany's third-largest city and capital of Bavaria, draws business travelers tied to major manufacturers headquartered there alongside tourists bound for the Alps and Oktoberfest. Consistently ranked among Europe's more efficient hubs, MUC handles tens of millions of passengers annually.