On July 24 the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) and airport operator Fraport opened a new aviation security checkpoint at Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
The new checkpoint, which has seven control lanes, has been installed in a purpose-built extension to Concourse A at Terminal 1. Its configuration offers more flexibility and faster security screenings. Thanks to the new lane structure, more passengers can present their hand luggage for inspection at the same time. Moreover, individual travelers can overtake slower passengers within the same lane.
The lanes also provide more space for analyzing x-rays and for carrying out manual checks, which are conducted by security company representatives on behalf of the Federal Police. The screening technology, provided by Smiths Detection, has been used on a trial basis at Frankfurt since November 2018.
The final stage of the construction of the extension hall will begin in October. During this phase, the new security lanes will be removed and redeployed at other existing checkpoints in Frankfurt’s two terminals. When construction is complete, normal operation will return to extension hall A, in time for the 2020 summer season.
The German Federal Police currently operates 186 security control lanes at Frankfurt Airport, nine of which feature the new configuration. Over the next few years, the new lane configuration will be gradually rolled out throughout the terminals – including Terminal 3, which is currently under construction.
Kerstin Kohlmetz, president of the Federal Police Office at Frankfurt Airport, inaugurated the new security checkpoint. She was joined by Stefan Schulte, executive board chairman of Fraport, and Jasper van Gend, head of market, Europe North & East at Smiths Detection.
Schulte told those attending the ceremony, “Thanks to the new control lanes, considerably more passengers can now pass through security control in Concourse A, resulting in shorter waiting times. All partners involved in this project worked very hard to ensure that the extension hall would be ready during the busy summer peak. Completing such a construction project within just six months is certainly not something that can be taken for granted.”