Airport News
Location: Frankfurt Airport
Important developments: New Terminal 3
Scheduled opening date: 2022
Principal companies involved: TBC
Total investment: Up to €3 billion
Frankfurt Airport has confirmed its intention to start work on the construction of its new Terminal 3 later this year.
The decision comes after a comprehensive and detailed analysis of an audit study commissioned by the Hesse state government to assess the airport’s future capacity requirements.
The €3 billion terminal will be located in the southern part of the airport on the site of the former US military base.
Construction will be done on a modular basis in two building phases. The first phase, which was approved in August 2014, covers the building of the main terminal complex with two piers and 24 building positions.
The new terminal is being designed to accommodate up to 14 million passengers per annum.
It will be connected to the existing terminals (T1 and T2) and airport train stations by Frankfurt Airport’s Sky Line people-mover system, which is to be extended.
The first phase development programme also includes the construction of roads and access facilities around Terminal 3 as well as an additional motorway slip road.
Airport operator, Fraport, says that the new complex will boost its capacity and increase its green credentials as it is expected to be one of the most energy efficient terminal buildings in Europe.
Indeed, the airport claims that Terminal 3 won’t use any fossil energy sources or rely on the external supply of external energy for heating, which is in line with Fraport’s commitment to reduce its CO2 emission levels.
Fraport claims its decision to start construction this year is based on expert studies by two independent research institutes on Frankfurt Airport’s forecast passenger growth.
The studies forecast that passenger volumes at Frankfurt will rise to between 68 million and 73 million passengers per annum by 2021, ensuring that the airport’s current design capacity of 64mppa will be exceeded in the next six years.
“Frankfurt Airport is Germany’s largest place of employment and serves as the ‘Gateway to the World’ for the state of Hesse and Germany as a whole. The new Terminal 3 will underscore this role and thus further strengthen our region,” said Fraport’s executive board chairman, Dr Stefan Schulte.
Fraport’s CFO, Dr Matthias Zieschang, added: “With an investment volume of between €2.5 billion and €3 billion, Terminal 3 will be one of Germany’s largest infrastructure projects.
“Refraining from using a single general contractor for the entire terminal construction, Fraport will instead award targetted multiple contracts to various companies performing specific tasks related to the project.
“This method already proved successful with the new Pier A-Plus at Terminal 1 that was inaugurated in 2012 on schedule and on budget.
“In addition, this method allows regional companies to offer their expertise and thus to benefit from the construction of the new terminal.”
Fraport will soon issue an EU-wide notice and invitation to tender for the first phase of the excavation works on the site of the future Terminal 3.
Due to the time frame required for the EU tender process, the excavation works are scheduled to start towards the end of the year.
Construction time for the terminal is scheduled to take place over a period of seven years to ensure it opens for business in 2022.
