Police in Berlin say they have thwarted an overnight attempt by many hundreds of militant left-wing demonstrators trying to occupy former Tempelhof airport.

The former hub of the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift, once one of three Berlin airports, was shut down last year, prompting renewed debate about what should happen to the site, including its iconic 1,200 meter-long terminal building built during the Nazi era. The city center airport has an area equivalent to 400 football fields and is now considered a prime property development site.

On Saturday, a leftist alliance calling itself "Squat Tempelhof", which wants the grounds to be opened to the public, was confronted by a large deployment of police. A spokesman for the police said demonstrators had repeatedly tried but failed to tear down a perimeter fence. Numerous arrests were made, police said.

The incident coincides with an ongoing debate about the legendary airfield. Last November, the Berlin state government decided to turn a chunk of the site into a 250-hectare park. Events planned include pop concerts and equestrian competitions. Other ideas have included a zoo, a private hospital, a film studio and even a red-light district. The terminal itself is a protected heritage site.

Tempelhof became the world's first airport with regular passenger service in 1923.

Shortly after World War Two, a Soviet blockade of West Berlin forced American and British aircraft to fly in foodstuffs, fuel and other goods for the 2.2 million residents in order to ensure their survival.

Tempelhof's closure in 2008 was part of a plan to move Berlin's new international airport to Schoenefeld on the city's southern fringe in what was earlier communist East Germany. The new Berlin Brandenburg International airport is scheduled to open in 2011.

ipj/AFP/AP/dpa/Reuters

Editor: Greg Benzow