From the beginning of May, Hamburg took the leading role in international air traffic. With its “Knuffingen Airport”, situated in Miniatur Wunderland, the European Green Capital 2011 showcased the world’s first CO2-free airport. Very soon, climate-neutral airplanes will arrive in and depart from the Hanseatic City, thereby living up to its title of European Green Capital.
After six years of planning and development, May 4th saw the opening of the world’s first CO2-free airport. “No doubt the new airport will be one of Hamburg’s main attractions – where else can you observe emission-free arrivals and departures of planes”, says Thorsten Kausch, Managing Director of Hamburg Marketing GmbH, with a cheeky glint in his eyes.
“Knuffingen Airport” is one of the exhibition’s major attractions, and it opens just in time for Miniatur Wunderland’s 10th anniversary. Being a one-to-one reproduction of Hamburg Airport, it marks a new era in model construction. More than 150,000 hours of work and around €3.5 million were invested to build this airport. An aircraft catapult assists 40 aircraft models in landing and launching. A specially designed satellite system enables the airplanes to taxi over the runway. The construction of the terminal alone took nearly a year to build, with tens of thousands of miniature details involved.
The exhibition stretches over a total of 1,500 square metres, covering attributes from Scandinavia and the USA, the Hamburg quays as well as the high mountains. “Knuffingen Airport” not just complements this worthwhile exhibition – it will also enrich Hamburg as a tourist destination.
