A busy cargo apron shows the heavy presence at Frankfurt-Hahn of cargo carriers from the former Soviet Union. In the foreground is an Aeroflot DC-10-40F: the carrier has a base for cargo services at the airport. Present on ad-hoc charters are three Antonov An-124s: two from Polet Aviakompania and one from Volga-Dnepr Airlines.

Hahn was built as an air base in the early 1950s and used by the United Stated Air Force during the Cold War. It was the home of the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, which latterly flew the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon. One of the unit's aircraft, carrying the Hahn tail-code of ‘HR’, is pictured in a hardened aircraft shelter on the base.

Ryanair dominates passenger services from Frankfurt-Hahn with six Boeing 737-800s based there. In the background is the world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225, and an Aeroflot DC-10-40F. Low-cost passenger flights and cargo have been the airport's two main growth areas.

Many of the hardened aircraft shelters that once protected Hahn’s F-16s are today used as storage facilities. In the background, a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 taxies for departure.