Stuttgart Airport group transfers: the SAB, registration and the Messe on site

Book the stand as well as the coach

Group coaches use the Stuttgart Airport Busterminal (SAB), at ground level beneath car park P14, wedged between Terminal 4 and Flughafenstraße. Stands 4 to 18 serve long-distance lines and group coaches. Every stop has to be registered with the terminal's control centre and confirmed by its management at least 3 hours before arrival, so a coach added at the last minute may not get in. Send final flight details early.

The SAB is covered, has a heated waiting room and is a 200 m walk from the S-Bahn. Entry is moving to number-plate recognition, which the operator handles beforehand.

Four terminals, one route

Stuttgart has Terminals 1 to 4. The SAB is signed from Terminal 3, so a group landing at different terminals gathers there and walks across together. If the coach must wait longer than a quick pick-up, coach parking spaces lie directly opposite the SAB, between Terminals 3 and 4.

Drive time to the city

• about 13 km by road to the Schlossplatz, in the centre of Stuttgart, about 20 min in light traffic; longer at peak times

Terminals and arrival levels

• Terminal 2
• Terminal 4
• Terminal 1
• Terminal 3

Messe Stuttgart: across the road

Messe Stuttgart sits directly at the airport, beside the A8. Eingang Ost uses the stop Flughafen/Messe and Eingang West the stop Messe West. The Messe has 57 coach places, for trade-fair visitors only. Exhibitors staying in the city can run a morning loop from hotel to hall and an evening loop back, with departing team members dropped at the terminals on the way.

Into the city: sticker and diesel rules

The Schlossplatz is about 13 km, about 20 minutes in light traffic. The airport lies outside the city, in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, but all of Stuttgart is an Umweltzone requiring the green sticker, with diesel bans on top; diesel coaches need Euro VI in the inner zone. Hotel transfers enter it, so the vehicle's emission standard is checked at booking.

Rail now, long-distance later

S2 and S3 run to the Hauptbahnhof every 15 minutes at core times, and U6 every 10 minutes from Flughafen/Messe; both take 25 to 30 minutes. Long-distance trains leave from the Hauptbahnhof, as the airport's own long-distance station is not due before December 2030.

For programmes further afield: about 127 km to Heidelberg (about 1 h 30 min), about 152 km to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and about 204 km to Freiburg im Breisgau (some 2 h 10 min).

Planner questions

How far ahead must the coach be registered at the SAB?

The stop must be confirmed by the bus terminal's management at least 3 hours before arrival. The operator registers it.

Can the group take an ICE straight from the airport?

Not yet. ICE trains leave from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, about 25 to 30 minutes by S-Bahn.

Does the vehicle need a sticker for city hotels?

Yes. The whole city is an Umweltzone with the green sticker, and diesel bans apply as well; the rules are checked before travel.

Cities we cover

• Stuttgart

Vehicle sizes

• Full-size coach (Reisebus) — Seats: 49-57
• Midi-coach (Midibus) — Seats: 29-35
• Minibus (Kleinbus) — Seats: 9-16 passengers plus the driver
• Executive Sprinter-style minibus — Seats: 8-16 passengers plus the driver
• Executive car with driver (Mietwagen mit Fahrer) — Seats: 1-3 (up to 8 passengers in a van-type car)
• Wheelchair-accessible minibus — Seats: Varies by layout; wheelchair positions replace seats

Plan a Stuttgart movement

Give us flight numbers, terminals, headcount and the Messe entrance or hotel. The quote covers the vehicle, the SAB registration and the timings.

Request a quote or call 35227647770