At the groundbreaking ceremony (L-R): Anke Giesen, chief operations officer of Fraport AG; Dr. Matthias Zieschang, chief controlling and finance at Fraport AG; Dr. Stefan Schulte, CEO of Fraport AG; Volker Bouffier, Minister President of Hessen; Karlheinz Weimar, the supervisory board of Fraport AG; and Michael Müller, director of labor relations at Fraport AG
Airport operator Fraport AG has held a ground breaking ceremony for the new multibillion-dollar Terminal 3 project at Frankfurt Airport, with 400 employees from all areas of the company attending the event.
The first phase of the project will include the construction of two piers that will be able to accommodate up to 14 million passengers annually. A further two piers will be added at a later stage, increasing capacity to 25 million passengers a year. Construction of the new sustainable Terminal 3 is expected to take seven years and will open in 2022.
Fraport is investing €2.5-3bn (US$2.8-3.3bn) in the new building, which will measure approximately 90,000m² (969,000ft²). The terminal will have ceiling height of 20m (65ft), creating a sense of space for travelers, while the check-in hall will have space for up to four check-in islands with a total of 104 check-in counters and 54 self-service kiosks. There will be 29 security checkpoints for departing passengers and 10 baggage carousels for arriving passengers.
A new Sky-Line train will connect Terminal 3 with the airport’s existing infrastructure, ensuring smooth interchanges for passengers and visitors. The piers will include 24 aircraft boarding gates, 20 of which will be able to accommodate wide body aircraft such as the Airbus A380.
Commenting at the ground breaking ceremony, Fraport executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte said, “After more than 15 years of intensive planning, approval procedures and testing, we are pleased to begin today [October 5] with the construction of Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport. This terminal ensures the future viability of the largest aviation hub in Germany, creating new jobs and opportunities for our employees. It also contributes to securing the economic prosperity of the entire region and beyond.”