Editing Hahn Airport (section)

===Military base===
{{Main|Hahn Air Base}}
During the [[Cold War]], at which time an invasion of [[West Germany]] was a possibility, [[Hahn Air Base]] was a frontline air base, and home of the [[United States Air Force]] 50th Tactical Fighter Wing (now the [[50th Space Wing]]), in various designations, as part of the [[United States Air Forces in Europe]] (USAFE). It was one of several USAFE bases in Germany within {{convert|100|km|mi}} of each other including [[Zweibrücken Air Base]], [[Ramstein Air Base]], [[Sembach]], [[Bitburg Air Base]], [[Spangdahlem Air Base]], and [[Rhein-Main Air Base]]. These air bases were well situated to reach all locations within Europe and the [[Mediterranean Basin]]. Hahn Air Base had more than 13,000 people and three squadrons of F-16 tactical fighters.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} At the end of the Cold War, the United States was left with a huge excess capacity of expensive airfields in Europe.

As a result, the squadrons at the base were inactivated: the [[496th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] was inactivated on 15 May 1991, the [[313th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] was inactivated on 1 July 1991, and the [[10th Flight Test Squadron|10th Tactical Fighter Squadron]] was inactivated on 30 September 1991. The 50th Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated on 30 September 1991 and then activated as the [[50th Space Wing]] at Falcon AFB (now [[Schriever Air Force Base]]) in [[Colorado]] on 30 January 1992. The inactivations had a significant effect on the local economy.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/07/02/cold-wars-end-chills-small-german-towns/ | title=Cold War's End Chills Small German Towns | first=Alice | last=Siegert | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=2 July 1992}}</ref>

Most of Hahn Air Base was turned over to German civil authorities on 30 September 1993, though USAFE retained a small portion as a radio communications site until its final turnover to German authorities in 2012. It is still frequently used for military charters operated by, amongst others, Atlas Air, [[Delta Air Lines]], and [[United Airlines]].

The German government decided to turn Hahn Air Base into a civil airport with the goal of reducing traffic to [[Frankfurt Airport]] (which is located in the neighbouring state of [[Hesse]]). One of the main investors in the development of the airport was [[Fraport AG]], the operator of Frankfurt International Airport, which received a 65% [[ownership]] stake in the airport.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

In 1996, the faculty and police training school of the [[Rheinland-Pfalz State Police]] were combined at a new joint facility located at the air base's former housing area.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}