Terminal 3 – Building the Future

With our new Terminal 3, we are expanding our capacity and reinforcing our position as an international aviation hub. 
Animated film about Terminal 3
Animated film about Terminal 3

 

Building the Future

Despite unforeseen events like the Covid-19 pandemic, which has reduced air traffic volumes, this long-term strategic expansion project continues to be essential for ensuring the future of Frankfurt Airport; aviation volumes are bound to recover over the medium to long term. The project’s modular structure makes it possible to flexibly schedule the construction and inauguration of the terminal’s individual parts depending on how the actual need for extra capacity develops. By the time it’s completely finished, it will be able to handle up to 25 million passengers a year. Since Fraport doesn’t expect passenger volumes to return to pre-crisis levels until 2026, the current plans call for Terminal 3 (including Pier G) to reopen that year. It will then be possible to start operating with three piers with total capacity for up to 19 million passengers a year.

A combination of aesthetics and sustainability

The attractive new terminal’s architecture is ultramodern. Numerous large pane-glass windows flood the generously dimensioned halls and areas with daylight, making it possible to minimize the use of artificial light sources. Pipes and cables are integrated in the architecture without disrupting the large open spaces or diminishing their esthetics. The new terminal also sets standards on the sustainability front, requiring only minimal heating thanks to energy-efficient construction methods and state-of-the-art technologies.

The futuristic marketplace at the heart of Terminal 3, covering about 6,000 square meters, is eye-catching with a wide variety of retail outlets, restaurants, and cafés where passengers can shop or enjoyably pass the time. A lounge zone with a spectacular view of the apron also provides space for passengers to relax and unwind in while enjoying direct access to marketplace’s many shops and restaurants. Terminal 3 also boasts numerous entertainment opportunities and services. Children, for example, can romp and let off steam in any of several play areas while waiting for boarding to start. Business travelers can also take advantage of the time to get things done without distractions in Work & Connect areas before heading to the boarding gate.

The new terminal is optimally connected and can be quickly and conveniently reached by travelers. Fraport is building a new people mover line similar to the existing Sky Line to connect Terminal 3 with the other two terminals. The journey from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, with a short stop at Terminal 2, takes just eight minutes. Terminal 3 will also be easily accessible by taxi, bus, and car. Passengers who drive their cars to Frankfurt Airport can take advantage of a parking facility with 8,500 spaces right next to the terminal. It also includes several hundred spaces for bicycles.

Visualization of the new terminal at Frankfurt Airport

PTS-station

 

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PTS-station

 

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terminal 3 outside view

 

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inside view Check-in-hall Terminal 3

 

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terminal 3

Terminal 3 außen

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marketplace visualisation

 

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marketplace visualisation

 

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arrival hall

 

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boarding gate J

 

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boarding gate J

 

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lounge visualisation

 

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Click here to see the construction progress

Fraport is ensuring the long-term future of Frankfurt Airport with this strategic expansion project. Terminal 3 sets new standards, as the following figures show:

  • After Terminal 3 begins operating in 2026, up to 19 million passengers a year will be able to depart from and arrive there.
  • Schengen and non-Schengen passengers will be able to use three new piers with a combined length of 1,400 meters.
  • Terminal 3 will offer at least 33 aircraft parking positions alongside its piers.
  • The new terminal will have a footprint of about 176,000 square meters, the size of about 25 soccer fields combined.
  • Including all upper and lower levels, the main building and three piers will have total floorspace of around 403,000 square meters.
  • There will be up to 100 check-in counters and luggage drop-off points.
  • A new luggage system will include up to 15 carousels at the baggage claim and seamlessly link Terminal 3 with the other two terminals .
  • The trip on the new Sky Line will take eight minutes between Terminals 1 and 3 with a stop at Terminal 2.

The Terminal 3 construction project: frequently asked questions

Fraport AG is building the new Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport in one of Europe’s largest privately financed infrastructure projects.

The expected long-term growth in air traffic will eventually exceed the capacities of Terminal 1, which opened in 1972, and Terminal 2, which began operating in 1994. In 2019, more than 70 million passengers already departed from or arrived at Frankfurt Airport. The Covid-19 pandemic that broke out in early 2020 has inflicted an unprecedented setback on the aviation sector. But, as other crises have shown in the past, it will eventually resume expanding over the medium to long term.

This is why the new Terminal 3, conceived as a long-term expansion project, continues to be important for the future of Frankfurt Airport. Thanks to its modular design, the individual construction phases can be closely aligned with the growth in the need for capacity.

Construction of the terminal has been divided into three phases, each of which can be flexibly adapted depending on capacity requirements. The main building and Piers H and J are being built in the first construction phase, which began in 2015. Up to and including 2019, passenger volumes expanded even faster than predicted. To shift some of the load off Terminals 1 and 2 relatively quickly, following an in-depth analysis of various options the decision was made to move forward the second construction phase consisting of Pier G. More information on Pier G is available here.

Additional projects are being carried out to link the new terminal to the existing infrastructure. They include expanding the Zeppelinheim interchange on the A5 motorway, building a parking facilities with room for 8,500 motor vehicles, and creating a new people mover system to complement the existing Sky Line. The new terminal is also being integrated into Frankfurt Airport’s existing technical infrastructure.

Fraport expects aviation volumes to return to precrisis levels by 2026. The airport operator therefore doesn’t plan to begin operating Terminal 3 (with Pier G) until then. At that time it will be   possible to inaugurate it with capacity for 19 million passengers annually. As the airport returns to precrisis levels, attention will initially focus on using the capacity that’s available at the two existing terminals. Later, as the construction project advances, the situation will come into sharper focus. Follow the current progress of the construction project here: www.terminal3.info

Terminal 3 is being built at the site of a former U.S. military base in the south of Frankfurt Airport. The Rhein-Main Air Base was the main facility used by the United States Air Force in Germany between 1945 and 2005. In the Berlin Airlift in the late 1940s during the Cold War, so-called “candy bombers” took off from here to carry vitally needed supplies to the residents of Berlin. After the airbase was closed down on September 30, 2005, the area was turned over to Frankfurt Airport.

Terminal 3 will be easy and convenient to reach. This is being ensured by connecting it to the existing road network via an enlarged Zeppelinheim interchange on the A5 motorway. Passengers and visitors arriving by regional or long-distance rail will also be able to get there by riding the new Sky Line from Terminal 1 via Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 in just eight minutes.

Terminal 3 is one of Europe’s largest privately funded infrastructure projects. Fraport AG is using own financial resources to build the new terminal and its connections without interrupting ongoing airport operations.

Fraport, the airport’s operator, is talking with various airlines. There is already considerable interest in Terminal 3 and the feedback received is positive. Terminal 3’s state-of-the-art design and good connections with Terminals 1 and 2 are particularly appealing to airlines that attach importance to ensuring a good experience for passengers, customer-focused services, and efficient handling processes. However, airlines have considerably shorter planning cycles. So there won’t be clarity on which airlines will move to Terminal 3 until just one or two years before it opens.

Despite unforeseen circumstances like the Covid-19 pandemic, the construction work is proceeding on schedule. Pier G is practically finished and being put into a kind of tended hibernation in the second quarter of 2022. It will therefore be possible for it to begin operating earlier than Terminal 3 as a whole if needed. The work to build Piers H and J, the main terminal building, the Sky Line, and the road connections is also advancing on schedule for the entire terminal to be commissioned in 2026.

Detailed information on the current progress of the construction project is available here:  www.terminal3.info     

Sustainability considerations already played a major role back when the plans for Terminal 3 were being drawn up. The new terminal, which is being equipped with advanced technology, will produce significantly fewer emissions than Terminals 1 and 2. Among other things, it will feature a highly thermally insulated outer shell, adaptable protection from sunlight, maximum use of daylight, efficient heat recovery, an efficient displacement ventilation system, and exclusive use of LED lighting to ensure sustainable operation. Solutions for installing large-scale photovoltaic systems on the roofs of Terminal 3 and the new parking facility are now being developed.

Terminal 3 will also feature an extensive “dual-plumbed” system for sustainable reuse of water. A retention basin for rainwater is being installed along with an associated purification system. Runoff from the new terminal’s roof will be channeled into the basin and processed into service water.

Fraport has optimally met the prerequisites by creating a dedicated project company. Lessons learned from Fraport’s own projects and comparable infrastructural projects elsewhere have made it clear that it’s best to tackle the implementation phase as far as possible via a separate, autonomous entity. In September 2016, Fraport Ausbau Süd GmbH was therefore created as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fraport AG, which is ultimately responsible for the construction project. The daughter company is equipped with all required resources, and its lean organizational structure ensures fast, transparent decision-making processes.

Keep track the construction progress here

We’re building a gateway to the world – why not become part of this project?  

The construction of Terminal 3 will create a new flagship of excellence for Frankfurt Airport and the region, and we are looking for experts to build it.  

As a company, we are investing on a large scale in the construction of Terminal 3, which is an important piece of infrastructure for maintaining the international competitiveness of Frankfurt Airport – a major engine powering the local and regional economy. In doing so, we are drawing on the extensive experience we have gained with other infrastructure projects in Germany and other countries. We also benefit from the fact that we are a reliable partner to the companies we contract. After all, we are also entrepreneurs. Terminal 3 is set to become a new flagship of excellence for Frankfurt Airport and the entire region, and we are looking for experts to work together with our own specialists to build Terminal 3. Our intention is to bolster the (regional) economy as broadly as possible, and we have therefore decided to avoid entrusting all the building services to a single general contractor.

We’re looking for professional planners and builders for our new terminal!

To apply, please complete the attached PDF form (in German) and send it to initiativwerbung@fraport.de.
Please note that this can’t be done right in your browser, such as Chrome or Firefox. You’ll need to download the form and open it with Adobe Reader or another PDF tool.

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Media contact

Andreas Mehring

Communications Manager - Terminal 3 and Digitalization

a.mehring@fraport.de +49 69 690 70553