This unique airport, that welcomed almost nine million passengers last year, has been branded the ‘strangest’ hub in the world due to being located in a ‘trinational Eurodistrict’
The world’s ‘strangest airport’ is just one and a half hours from the UK – and allows passengers to land in three different countries.
Located in the historic region of Alsace in northeastern France, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, is uniquely situated in what is called a ‘trinational Eurodistrict’ – where three countries overlap in one zone. Commonly referred to as just EuroAirport, the hub gives passengers the option to exit into Basel in Switzerland or Mulhouse in France.
There is no exit that leads straight into Germany, but if you exit into France – you’ll be a mere 13-minute drive from the German border. While the concept is certainly interesting – it can make things a little confusing.
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According to the Express, airlines may only show one of the destinations on the departure boards when displaying flight information. So, make sure you pay attention when in the airport – and once you’ve landed.
While EuroAirport is not linked directly to a railway system, there are public transport connections to nearby trains in all three countries. Passengers exiting through French customs can take the number 11 Distribus shuttle to Saint-Louis train station to head towards Mulhouse in France or Strasbourg in Germany.
Posting about the unusual airport on TikTok, travel enthusiast Ally Jape described the hub as the ‘strangest airport’ on the planet. “It is the only airport in the world that is managed by two different countries at the same time,” he said in a now-viral video. “That means the moment you arrive within the same building, you can choose to take the exit through the French side, or the Swiss side.
“Each side that you’re going to take applies to the law of that specific country. This is just crazy. So, if you were to land at this airport, which country would go to first?”
In 2024, the airport handled a whopping 8.9 million passengers – a 10.2 per cent increase compared to the previous year. This is still down from the pre-covid record of 9.1 million annual passengers back in 2019.
Flights departing EuroAirport tend to be short or medium-haul journeys, connecting the hub to other parts of Europe such as Frankfurt, Berlin, Athens, Venice, and Zurich – as well as the UK. Brits wanting to experience the quirky airport can fly directly from Luton, Gatwick, Heathrow, or Manchester. If you’re flexible with dates, you can grab return fares for as little as £37 in July.
*Prices based on Skyscanner results at the time of writing.
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