Fraport Begins Construction of Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) operator Fraport AG began construction on Terminal 3 (T3) on Oct. 5. The first phase, which will handle up to 14 million passengers annually, is expected to open in 2022. The new terminal, which has been in the planning stages for more than 15 years, is an integral part of Fraport's airport expansion program.

Fraport AG's investment in T3 is reportedly EUR 2.5 billion to EUR 3 billion (US$2.8 billion to US$3.36 billion) and is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Germany.

"As Germany's most important airport-particularly for intercontinental flights-Frankfurt will be able to continue offering first-class services and modern infrastructure to our passengers ... this outstanding facility will ensure that Frankfurt remains Germany's Gateway to the World," Fraport AG executive board chairman Stefan Schulte said.

The first construction phase will include the main terminal building and two piers to serve up to 14 million passengers per year. At a later date, two more piers can be added to expand the overall capacity of T3 to some 25 million passengers per year. A new SkyLine people-mover system will link T3 with the existing terminals on the north side of the airport.

According to Fraport, FRA will "soon" exceed current passenger capacity in Terminals 1 and 2 because of increasing passenger traffic.

The basic surface area of T3 comprises about 90,000 sq m-equivalent to about 19 football fields. The terminal hall has an exterior height of 33 meters and a clear interior height of 20 meters, offering space for up to four check-in areas with 104 counters, up to 54 baggage drop-off machines and-initially-some 40 ticket counters. T3 will offer 29 security control positions for departing and transferring passengers, and 10 baggage claim belts for arriving passengers.

The two new H and J piers at T3 will be 400 and 600 meters long, respectively. The T3 piers will provide 24 urgently needed aircraft docking positions, including 20 positions for very large aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8I.

In 2014, FRA handled 59.57 million passengers, up 2.6% year-over-year.