Bigger than Hamburg Airport: New terminal eases operations at Frankfurt Airport

The new passenger terminal at Frankfurt Airport is still far from being used to capacity. But the additional handling options make operations at Germany's largest airport easier.

More space at Germany's largest airport: operations have become more streamlined. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa

Frankfurt/Main. Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport, which costs around four billion euros, has been used by around 4.4 million passengers since it opened in April. This means that the complex, which is designed for an annual capacity of 19 million customers, is still far from being used to capacity, but the operating company Fraport has nevertheless shown itself to be very satisfied with the start. "Terminal 3 is a huge success. The processes have worked out well," said Fraport's Chief Operating Officer Dietmar Focke.

Since its opening, 57 airlines have moved their handling to the new terminal. In four waves, the companies had to move from other parts of the airport to the terminal in the south, which alone offers more capacity than the entire Hamburg airport. The next challenge comes in April 2027, when the second largest German airline Condor moves its operations completely to Terminal 3.

Condor's hub is coming to the south

The former holiday airline operates a hub in Frankfurt, similar to the much larger Lufthansa, filling long-haul jets with feeder flights from all over Europe. This requires short transfer times with reliable baggage and passenger processes. “We are fighting for every minute,” said Focke about the handling processes at the rest of the airport, which will again be used by around 63 million passengers this year.

The additional space has noticeably relieved the burden on the entire operation, including in the north, the board reported. Airplanes would have to be towed and reparked significantly less often than before. Passengers no longer have to take long bus journeys as often. With a punctuality rate of 73.4 percent in the summer, we are significantly above the level from the previous year and are finally back in the top group of European hub airports.