Groningen Airport Eelde (IATA: GRQ, ICAO: EHGG) is a civilian airport near Eelde, The Netherlands just south of Groningen. Eelde is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe.

Though there is a single scheduled passenger service to Groningen, the airport is mostly used for charter flights to holiday destinations in Greece, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. In 2005, the airport handled 163 000 passengers. The airport is also the homebase of the KLM Flight Academy.

Groningen is the capital city of the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. With a population of 181,819, it is by far the largest city in the north of the Netherlands. Groningen is a university city, where usually more than 45,000 students live.

The city was founded on the northernmost point of the Hondsrug area. The oldest document referring to Groningen's existence dates from 1040. However, the city already existed long before then: the oldest archaeological traces found are believed to stem from the years 3950 BC–3720 BC, although the first major settlement in Groningen has been traced back to the 3rd century AD.

In the 13th century, when Groningen was an important trade centre, its inhabitants built a city wall to underline its authority. The city had a strong influence on the surrounding lands and made its dialect a common tongue. The most influential period of the city was the end of the 15th century, when the nearby province of Friesland was administered from Groningen. During these years, the Martini Tower was built, which loomed over the city at (then) 127 metres tall, making it the highest building in Europe at the time. The city's independence came to an end when it chose to join forces with the Spanish during the Eighty Years' War in 1594. It later switched sides, joining the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

In 1614, the University of Groningen was founded, initially only for religious education. In the same period the city expanded rapidly and a new city wall was built. That same city wall was tested during the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672, when the city was attacked fiercely by the bishop of Münster, Bernhard von Galen. The city walls resisted, an event which is celebrated with music and fireworks on 28 August.

The city did not escape the devastation of World War II. In particular, the main square, Grote Markt, was largely destroyed in April 1945, at the Battle of Groningen. However, the Martinitoren, its church, the Goudkantoor, and the city hall were not damaged. The battle there lasted several days.

Eelde airport was incidentally the departure airport and final destination of the FsP World Tour #3.

Bordeaux - Mérignac Airport (French: Aéroport de Bordeaux - Mérignac) (IATA: BOD, ICAO: LFBD) is an airport serving the French city of Bordeaux. It is located in the town of Mérignac, 6 miles (10 km) west of Bordeaux, within the département of Gironde. In 2006, the airport served more than 3 460 000 travellers. It is ranked 6th in France as a destination for passengers.

The airport operates on a two halls basis, within a single terminal, and is only linked to downtown by a coach company called JetBus. This lack of a public mass transport connection has led to a certain anger in the local area. However, there are plans for the tramway system to link the airport with downtown.

In addition to almost a flight per hour to Paris and daily flights to the major French cities, the airport offers daily and weekly flights to a large number of European and international destinations.

The general Charles de Gaulle took off from the airport to join London in 1940. The following day he made the call of June 18th (Appeal of 18 June).

During the early years of the Cold War, Bordeaux-Mérignac was a front-line NATO facility for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). As well as its civil use, the French Air Force deignated Mérignac Air Base BA 106, and it has been used in its strategic air force.

As a consequence of the temporary closure of the Cazaux military base, the civil authorities have been forced to share the runaway with the French Army since November 2005.

Bordeaux Mérignac's origins begin in 1917, when a joint civilian/military air field was established there. The facility was a major hub for Air France, flying from Bordeaux to various destinations in Europe and North Africa. Military uses by the French Air Force was as a training center and also as a bomber base.

During World War II the German Luftwaffe took control of the base and used it as a center for maritime reconnaissance. Focke-Wulf Fw-200 "Condor" aircraft flew from the base roaming the Atlantic Ocean looking for Allied shipping.

The United States Army Air Force 8th Air Force and the Royal Air Force attacked the base in 1943.

After the war Air France resumed commercial operations out of Mérignac and the reestablished French Air Force returned to use the facility.

In 1951 Mérignac was turned over to NATO for use by the United States Air Force. Construction of a modern air base suitable for jet aircraft began on 1 August. Much evidence of the war remained with many warning signs still in German, scattered munitions around the facility; the perimeter was still mined; large quantities of practice bombs, and destroyed hangars and other buildings as a result of Allied air raids.

On 1 October 1958, Bordeaux-Mérignac Air Base was closed to reduce USAFE expenses and manpower. All ongoing activities were moved to the NATO Chateauroux-Deols Air Base in central France. The U. S. Army operated a logistics facility at Mérignac for a few years, but ended their activities in 1961 and the entire facility was returned to French control.