Frankfurt Airport ( ) is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airport. The airport is operated by Fraport and serves as the main hub for Lufthansa, including Lufthansa City Airlines, Lufthansa CityLine, Discover Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo as well as Condor and AeroLogic. It covers an area of of land and features two passenger terminals with capacity for approximately 65 million passengers per year; four runways; and extensive logistics and maintenance facilities.
Frankfurt Airport is the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germany as well as the 6th busiest in Europe after Istanbul, LondonâÂÂHeathrow, ParisâÂÂCharles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Adolfo Suárez MadridâÂÂBarajas Airport. The airport is also the 22nd busiest worldwide by total number of passengers in 2024, with 61,564,957 passengers using the airport in 2024. It also had a freight throughput of 2.076 million tonnes in 2015 and is the busiest airport in Europe by cargo traffic. , Frankfurt Airport serves 330 destinations on five continents, making it the airport with the most direct routes in the world.
The southern side of the airport ground was home to the Rhein-Main Air Base, which served as a major air base for the United States from 1947 until its closure on 31 December 2005. The US personnel moved to Ramstein Air Base (extended from 2004 to 2006). The property was acquired by Fraport (now occupied by Terminal 3).
Frankfurt Airport lies southwest of central Frankfurt, near the Autobahn interchange Frankfurter Kreuz, where two of the most heavily used motorways in Europe (A3 and A5) meet. The airport grounds, which form a city district of Frankfurt named Frankfurt-Flughafen, are surrounded by the Frankfurt City Forest. The southern portion of the airport grounds extend partially into the towns of Rüsselsheim am Main and Mörfelden-Walldorf, and a western portion of the grounds lie within the town of Kelsterbach.
The airport is centrally located in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, Germany's third-largest metropolitan region, which itself has a central location in the densely populated region of the west-central European megalopolis. Thereby, along with a strong rail and motorway connection, the airport serves as a major transport node for the greater region, less than two hours by ground to Cologne, the Ruhr Area, and Stuttgart.
Since 2012, the people mover "The Squaire Metro" connects the Squaire with the nine-storey parking structure. On a length of about 300 metres the so-called MiniMetro system with its two cabins can carry up to 1,300 passengers per hour. The constructor of the system was the Italian manufacturer Leitner Ropeways.
In 2012, the website Airport Watch reported weekly protests had been occurring at the airport since the opening of a fourth runway a year previously.
The new runway officially went into operation on 20 October 2011, with an aircraft carrying Chancellor Angela Merkel, performing the first landing on 21 October. The centre line separation from the existing north runway is about . This allows simultaneous instrument landing system (ILS) operations on these two runways, which has not been possible on the other parallel runways, which do not meet the minimum separation for ILS operations. This allowed the airport to increase its capacity from 83 to 126 aircraft movements per hour.
On 11 October 2011, the Hessian Administration Court ruled that night flights between 11pm and 5am (the so-called Mediationsnacht) are no longer allowed at Frankfurt Airport after the inauguration of the new runway, and therefore overrode the approval from the Hessian government from 2007 which allowed 17 scheduled flights per night. On 4 April 2012, the German Administrative Court confirmed the decision of the Hessian Administration Court, banning night flights between 11pm and 5am.
To handle the predicted passenger amount of about 90 million in 2020, a new terminal section adjacent to Terminal 1 for an additional six million passengers opened on 10 October 2012. It is called Flugsteig A-Plus and is exclusively used by Lufthansa mainly for their long-haul flights. Flugsteig A-Plus features eight parking positions that are able to handle four Airbus A380s or seven Boeing 747-8/747âÂÂ400 simultaneously.
In November 2016, Ryanair announced the opening of a new base at Frankfurt Airport with four routes to Spain and Portugal. This move by Ryanair was heavily blasted, especially by Lufthansa, as Ryanair was granted high discounts and incentives regarding the airport's fees.
Albanian citizen, Arid Uka, a 21 year old at the time, targeted a United States Air Force bus parked outside the terminal building that was supposed to transport fifteen U.S. airmen to Ramstein Air Base. He reportedly walked up to a waiting airman, asked him for a cigarette, and wanted to know whether the airmen were bound for Afghanistan. When the airman said yes, according to German prosecutor Rainer Griesbaum, Uka waited for the airman to turn away and then shot him in the back of the head, killing him. Shouting "Allahu Akbar!" the attacker then entered the bus, shooting and killing the driver, and continued to fire three shots at two other airmen, wounding them. When he pointed his pistol at the head of another airman and pulled the trigger, the weapon jammed. Uka fled, but was pursued by the civilian airport employee Lamar Joseph Conner and Staff Sergeant Trevor Donald Brewer and shortly afterwards overpowered by two German police officers. He was subsequently arrested.
Portions of the airport were closed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Northwest Runway and Runway 18 West were closed on 23 March and re-purposed for parking unused aircraft. Terminal 2 was also closed, and all passenger operations were concentrated in Terminal 1. The Northwest Runway re-opened in July to handle summer tourist demand, while Runway 18 West remained closed. With almost no passenger traffic in the spring months, Frankfurt's total passenger volume in 2020 fell to 18.8 million, the lowest figure recorded since 1984.
Frankfurt Airport features two large main passenger terminals (Terminals 1 and 2), with Terminal 3 under construction, as well as a much smaller dedicated First Class Terminal which is operated and exclusively used by Lufthansa. As is the case at LondonâÂÂHeathrow, TokyoâÂÂNarita and other major airports, terminal operations are grouped for airlines and airline alliances rather than into domestic and international routes. However, there are dedicated sections for Schengen and non-Schengen routes.
Terminal 1 is the older and larger one of the two passenger terminals. The landside is 420 metres long. It has been enlarged several times and is divided into concourses A, B, C and Z and has a capacity of approximately 50 million passengers per year. Terminal 1 is functionally divided into three levels, the departures level on the upper floor with check-in counters, the arrivals level with baggage claim areas on the ground floor and, underneath, a distribution floor with access to the regional station and underground and multilevel parking. Departures and arrivals levels each have separate street approaches. A bus station is located at the arrivals level. Terminal 1 has a total of 103 gates, which include 54 gates equipped with jetways (25 in Concourse A, 18 in Concourse B, 11 in Concourse C). Concourse Z sits on top of Concourse A sharing the same jet bridges between both concourses. Flights to non-Schengen destinations depart from the Z gates and Schengen flights depart from the A gates.
Pier A was extended by 500 metres in 2000, and a link between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, as well as the Hall C extension opened in 2008.
On 10 October 2012, an 800-metre-long westward expansion of Terminal 1 called Pier A-Plus went into operation. It provides more stands for wide-body aircraft like the Airbus A380.
Terminal 1 is primarily used by the Lufthansa Group and its Star Alliance partners, amongst them Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and United Airlines. Some airlines that are not part of the Lufthansa Group or Star Alliance however also use Terminal 1, of which the largest is Condor (a former Lufthansa subsidiary). Since the secure gates for flights to Israel are located in Concourse C, Israeli flag carrier El Al also uses Terminal 1.
Terminal 2, which has a capacity of 15 million passengers a year, was opened in 1994 and is divided into concourses D and E. A continuous concourse between Terminal 1C and 2D provides direct but non-public access between the two terminals. It has eight gates with jetways and 34 apron stands, a total of 42 gates and is able to handle wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A380.
Terminal 2 is primarily used by airlines of the oneworld (e.g. American Airlines and Cathay Pacific) and SkyTeam alliances (e.g. Delta Air Lines and Vietnam Airlines amongst others). It also used by several further airlines that do not belong to any of the three major airline alliances, including airBaltic, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Icelandair among others.
Fraport announced in late 2022 that Terminal 2 will be temporarily closed for refurbishment starting in 2026. All tenants are to be relocated into the then fully completed Terminal 3.
In 2009, the German government decided to create third terminals for both Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport in order to handle expected passenger flows of 90 million in Frankfurt by 2020 and 50 million in Munich by 2017. The new terminal is scheduled to be built by Fraport, south of the existing terminals on the grounds of the former Rhein-Main Air Base. The new Terminal 3 is to accommodate up to 25 million passengers and will feature 75 new aircraft positions when completely constructed. An extension of the SkyLine people mover system is planned to connect the new terminal to Terminals 1 and 2 and the airport train stations.
In August 2014, the city of Frankfurt granted building permission for the first phase of Terminal 3. The groundbreaking for the new terminal took place on 5 October 2015. Its first phase, consisting of the main building and two of the planned four piers (concourses 3H and 3J), is planned to open by 2026 and will be able to handle 15 million additional passengers per year. Total costs are estimated at 3 billion euros.
In 2017, Frankfurt Airport first indicated that the second-phase construction of the easternmost pier (concourse 3G) could be moved forward so that low-cost carriers can use this pier from 2021. After approval by municipal authorities in 2018, the piers will be constructed and used according to the following timetable:
In March 2021, Fraport announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening of the new terminal had been postponed to 2026.
Concourse 3G (easternmost pier for low-cost carriers):
Check-in area, concourses 3H and 3J (central piers): Construction is well under way for opening with 3G in 2026 including transport systems for visitors, passengers and luggage to the other terminals.
Frankfurt Airport has four runways of which three are arranged parallel in an eastâÂÂwest direction and one in a northâÂÂsouth direction. In 2010 three runways (Runways North, South and West) handled 464,432 aircraft movements, which equated to 83 movements per hour. With the start of operation of the Northwest Runway in October 2011 the airport was predicted to be able to handle 126 movements per hour.
During normal operation, the two outer parallel runways (07L/25R and 07R/25L) are used for landings and the central parallel runway (07C/25C) and the Runway West (18) for take-offs. The three parallel runways have two markings because they can be operated in two directions while the Runway West can only be used in one direction.
Lufthansa and their Star Alliance partners account for the majority of all traffic at Frankfurt Airport. The following airlines offer year-round and seasonal scheduled and charter flights at Frankfurt Airport:
Frankfurt Airport is the second-largest multimodal transport airport in Europe and has several logistics facilities. These facilities are grouped at two areas
The airport ground and the surrounding area of Frankfurt Airport offer a large variety of on-airport businesses as well as airport-related businesses, including office space, hotels, shopping areas, conference rooms and car parks. The development of an airport city has significantly accelerated in recent years.
The Frankfurt Airport Centre 1 (FAC 1) near Terminal 1 offers office and conference facilities, the newer FAC 2 is located within Terminal 2 and offers office space for airlines. FAC Building 234 accommodates the head office of Discover Airlines, previously named Eurowings Discover.
The Airport City Mall is located on the landside of Terminal 1, departure hall B. It offers national and international retailers and label stores, a supermarket and several restaurants.
The Squaire is an office and retail building with a total floor area of . It is directly connected to Terminal 1 through a connecting corridor for pedestrians. The accounting firm KPMG, Lufthansa and two Hilton Hotels (Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport with 334 rooms and Hilton Frankfurt Airport with 249 rooms) occupy space in The Squaire.
The Main Airport Centre, named after the Main river, is an office building with ten floors and about of office space. It is located at the edge of the Frankfurt City Forest near Terminal 2.
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts offers 1,008 guest rooms adjacent to Terminal 1 and a conference centre for up to 200 delegates.
Gateway Gardens is a former housing area for the US Air Force personnel based at the Rhein-Main Air Base, close to Terminal 2. Like the air base, the housing area was closed in 2005. Since then the area is being developed into a business location for airport-related companies. Lufthansa moved its airline catering subsidiary LSG Sky Chefs to Gateway Gardens, Condor and SunExpress are headquartered here. DB Schenker, the logistics company of Deutsche Bahn, have built a high-rise building.
In December 2019, local trains were re-routed to run via Gateway Gardens station. The new stop for S-Bahn trains is located between Frankfurt Airport Regional Station and Frankfurt-Stadion station. The journey time will increase by 4 minutes but Deutsche Bahn have stated that they will use new trains (ET423) which will be faster and have more capacity.
Frankfurt Airport can be accessed by car, taxi, train or bus as it features an extensive transport network. There are two railway stations at the airport: one for suburban/regional trains and one for long-distance trains.
Passengers and visitors can change terminals with the people mover system SkyLine which has three stops in Terminal 1 (at gates A/Z, B and C) as well as one in Terminal 2 for all gates. Some stops can only be used by passengers in or outside the Schengen zone which is achieved by separated cars and station entrances. The travel time between the terminals is 2 minutes with trains arriving every 2âÂÂ3 minutes during the day. Each train has two cars, one airside (outside the Schengen area) and one landside (within the Schengen area). Most stations have a platform on each side of the train, so landside passengers can only step out onto the landside platform, and airside passengers can only step out onto the airside platform. Additionally, there is a regular bus service between the terminals.
A new passenger transport system is also under construction for the connection of the new terminal 3 and the existing terminals 1 and 2. It will use a track which is separate from the existing SkyLine people mover but will allow for interchanges between them. It is scheduled to have four stops in the final stage near the airport's two railway stations, at Terminals 1C and 2DE as well as the new Terminal 3.
Frankfurt Airport regional station (Frankfurt Flughafen Regionalbahnhof) at Terminal 1, concourse B, provides access to the S-Bahn commuter rail lines S8 and S9. Each of these lines have trains departing every 15 minutes during daytime to Hanau Central Station eastwards via Frankfurt Central Station and Offenbach East Station or Wiesbaden Central Station westwards via Rüsselsheim or Mainz Central Station (line S8) or Mainz-Kastel Station (line S9).
The journey time to Frankfurt Central Station is 10âÂÂ12 minutes.
Regional Express (RE) trains to Saarbrücken, Koblenz or Würzburg call at this station. These trains provide less frequent but additional connections between Frankfurt Airport and the Central Station.
Frankfurt Airport long-distance station (Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof) was opened in 1999. The station is squeezed in between the motorway A 3 and the four-lane BundesstraÃÂe B43, linked to Terminal 1 by a connecting corridor for pedestrians that bridges the Autobahn. It is the end point of the newly built CologneâÂÂFrankfurt high-speed rail line, which links southern Germany to the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, the Netherlands and Belgium via Cologne at speeds up to . About 10 trains per hour depart in all directions.
Deutsche Bahn operates the AIRail Service in conjunction with Lufthansa, American Airlines and Emirates. The service operates to the central stations of Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Hamburg, Hannover, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe.
Frankfurt Airport is located in the Frankfurt City Forest and directly connected to an Autobahn intersection called Frankfurter Kreuz where the A3 and A5 meet. It takes a 10âÂÂ15 minutes by car or taxi to get to Frankfurt Central Station or the centre of the city.
Passengers driving their own cars can park in multilevel parking garages (mostly underground) along the terminals. A long term holiday parking lot is located south of the runways and connected by shuttle bus to the terminals.
Various transport companies provide bus services to the airport from the surrounding areas as well as by coach to long-distance destinations.
Previously All Nippon Airways operated a bus service to Düsseldorf exclusively for ANA customers; that way Düsseldorf passengers would be transported to Frankfurt Airport to board their ANA flights. In 2014 ANA established a separate flight from Tokyo to Düsseldorf, causing the bus services to end.
In 2024, 47% of surveyed passengers whose air travel originated in Frankfurt came by private car, 25% came by rail (13% using the local metropolitan train, 11% using the ICE and 1% using other forms of long-distance trains), 15% came by taxi, 6% came by a private shuttle service, 2% came with a rental car, and 2% arrived by bus.