Editing EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (section)

===Foundation and early years===
Plans for the construction of a joint Swiss–French airport started in the 1930s but were halted by the [[Second World War]].  Swiss planners identified Basel as one of the four cities for which a main urban airport would be developed and recognized that the existing airfield at Sternenfeld in [[Birsfelden]] was too small and, due to the development of the adjacent river port facilities, unsuitable for expansion.  The suburb of [[Allschwil]] was proposed for a new airport, and this would require being constructed across the Franco-Swiss border, leading to talks with French authorities centered on developing a single airport that would serve both countries, enhancing its international airport status.<ref name="fae">{{cite journal |last=Bell |first=E. A. |date=10 May 1945 |title=Swiss Planning |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1945/1945%20-%200907.html |journal=Flight and Aircraft Engineer |publisher=Royal Aero Club |volume=XLVII |issue=1898 |pages=501 |access-date=5 July 2016}}</ref>

In 1946 talks resumed and it was agreed that an airport would be built {{convert|4|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[Blotzheim]], France. France would provide the land and the Swiss canton of [[Basel-Stadt]] would cover the construction costs. Basel-Stadt's [[Grand Council of Basel-Stadt|Grand Council]] agreed to pay the costs for a provisional airport even before an international treaty was signed (which was not until 1949). Construction began on 8 March 1946 and a provisional airport with a {{convert|1200|m|ft|sp=us|abbr=on}} runway was officially opened on 8 May.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Between autumn 1951 and spring 1953, the east–west runway was extended to {{convert|1600|m|ft|abbr=on|-2}} and the "Zollfreistrasse" ([[:fr:Route douanière de l'aéroport à Bâle]]) (customs-free road) was constructed, allowing access from Basel to the departure terminal without passing through French border controls.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

The first enlargement project was approved by referendum in Basel in 1960 and, over the following decades, the terminals and runways were continually extended. The north–south runway was extended further to {{convert|3900|m|ft|abbr=on|-2}} in 1972. In 1984, an annual total of 1 million passengers was reached. In 1987, the trademark name ''EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg'' was introduced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euroairport.com/en/about-us/presentation.html |title=EuroAirport - Serving the needs of the RegioTriRhena |publisher=EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg |access-date=6 June 2015}}</ref>

In 1992 a total of 2 million passengers used the airport. By 1998, this number rose up to 3 million.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

In December 1998, [[Swissair]] inaugurated service to [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] using [[Airbus A310]]s.<ref name="nyt1298">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/18/style/IHT-taking-the-long-thin-airlines.html | title=Taking the long thin airlines | work=International Herald Tribune | date=18 December 1998 | accessdate=16 February 2022 | author=Collis, Roger | url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="prelease">{{cite press release | url=http://www.euroairport.com/pages/actualites/000203_nyn_d.html | title=Zum Ende der Swissair-Verbindung vom EuroAirport nach New York/Newark | publisher=EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg | date=3 February 2000 | access-date=17 February 2022 | language=de| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001027234457/http://www.euroairport.com/pages/actualites/000203_nyn_d.html | archive-date=27 October 2000}}</ref> The main reason it launched the route was that it had heard another carrier was planning to begin flights from Basel to Newark; Swissair wanted to start flying the route before the other airline did. The company also hoped to attract people working for the pharmaceutical companies in Basel.<ref name="bz">{{cite news | url=https://www.bzbasel.ch/basel/basel-stadt/der-euro-aiport-sagt-aadje-swiss-willkommen-skywork-ld.1696348 | title=Der Euro-Aiport sagt "Aadje" Swiss, willkommen Skywork | work=bz Basel | date=30 May 2015 | accessdate=17 February 2022 | author=Schuppli, Stefan | language=German}}</ref> [[Crossair]], a subsidiary of Swissair, [[Codeshare agreement|code-shared]] on the flight. The carrier operated a hub at the EuroAirport, from which it flew to 40 regional destinations.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/10/travel/practical-traveler-euro-airport-as-regional-hub.html | title=Practical Traveler; Euro Airport as Regional Hub | work=The New York Times | date=10 January 1999 | accessdate=17 February 2022 | author=Collis, Roger | url-access=limited}}</ref>