Frankfurt Airport

FRA originated as the world’s first airline, the Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (DELAG) was founded on November 16th, 1909. The airline built the first airport in Frankfurt, the Airship Base at Rebstock, located in Brockenheim. Opening in 1912, it was primarily used for warships in the beginning. After the culmination of WWI, it was extended, but by 1924 it appeared to have reached its limit. In 1926, Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded, and civilian air travel increased rapidly, further straining the airfield at Rebstock. Plans were put in place to build a new and larger airport in the Frankfurt City Forest southwest of Schwanheim, but the plans did not immediately come to fruition due to the onset of the Great Depression. After the Machtergreifung (Adolph Hitler’s seizure of power) in 1933, plans to construct the airport were renewed. By 1935, a two-story terminal building and six-story air traffic control tower were erected, along with other hangars and a 100-meter grass runway. The new Flug- und Luftschiffhafen Rhein-Main opened on July 8th, 1936, and 58,000 passengers and 800 tons of cargo were serviced. The airport became home to Germany’s two largest airships, the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin and the LZ 129 Hindenburg. Of course, on May 6th, 1937, the Hindenburg exploded while flying to New York, and 36 people were killed, marking the end of the airship era. In 1939, WWII broke out, and all foreign airlines left the airport, which the Luftwaffe took over. The airport was converted to military use in 1940, which saw the airships dismantled and their hangars demolished. The runway was extended, and new hangars were constructed for use by military aircraft. On May 9th, 1940, the first bombers took off from Frankfurt to attack France. Moreover, from August to November 1944, a concentration camp was established close to the airport site, and Jewish female prisoners were forced to work for the airport. Later that year, Allied strikes destroyed the runways, and the following year the Wehrmacht destroyed the buildings and fuel deposits prior to the US Army assuming control of the airport. Once the war in Europe ended, the US Army built a temporary runway at the airport, and the southern part of the airport was occupied to build the Rhein-Main Air Base for the US Air Force. In 1948, the Soviets made a play on the divided Berlin by cutting off the rail and road access to West Berlin for the Western Allies, which would force the West to allow the Soviets to supply the city with food and fuel, thereby giving the Soviets control over the entire city. In order to break the blockade, the Western Allies organized the Berlin airlift, whereby supplies were flown to West Berlin by air. The airport in Frankfurt, along with the airports in Hamburg and Hannover, was primarily used for this purpose. Termed “Raisin Bombers,” the aircraft used damaged the runway in Frankfurt, causing the US Army to build a parallel runway. The airlift ended in September 1949 when the Soviets ended their blockade on the city. Civilian traffic began to grow again in 1951, as restrictions on flights by Germans were rescinded. By 1953, the airport in Frankfurt serviced over half a million passengers, with between 100 to 120 daily aircraft movements. Lufthansa resumed operations in 1955 as the Federal Republic of Germany regained its air sovereignty. Moreover, in 1957 the north runway was extended to 12,795 feet in anticipation of the coming jet age. The following year, a new passenger terminal opened, and by 1961 the airport serviced 2.2 million passengers, making it the second-busiest airport in Europe. As such, the terminal was already at capacity, and in 1962 it was determined that a larger terminal, with a capability of servicing up to 30 million annual passengers, would have to be built. In 1964, the southern runway was extended to 12,303 feet, and construction of the new terminal began the following year. Moreover, in 1970 a new hangar was completed, the largest in the world at the time (with the capacity to hold six jets). On March 14th, 1972 the new Terminal Mitte (now Terminal 1) opened, with three concourses and a railway station, the first airport railway station in the Federal Republic of Germany. Planning for a third runway began the following year, sparking massive outrage and protests due to noise and environmental concerns. It would involve cutting down protected trees in the Frankfurt City Forest. Despite their eventual lack of success, these protests became a linchpin for the German environmentalist movements of the 1980s. The protests continued after the runway opened in 1984, only ending when a gunman killed two police officers in 1987. Although the runway is still in use today, its north-south orientation (rather than the east-west orientation of the other runways) means that its use is limited, as it must be partially or fully closed when northern winds are too strong. At the same time, takeoffs can only occur in the southern direction to avoid interference with the other runways. Construction of a new terminal (now Terminal 2) began in 1990, as it was predicted that Terminal Mitte would soon reach capacity. The new terminal opened in 1994 with two concourses, expanding capacity to 54 million annual passengers. Moreover, a people mover system was opened to connect the two terminals. 1999 saw the opening of a second railway station, intended primarily for InterCityExpress long-distance trains as part of the new Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line. The US Air Force base moved to Ramstein Air Base on December 30th, 2005, bringing the base at Rhein-Main close. The land was given back to Fraport and the city of Frankfurt, respectively, to be used for a new terminal and the development of a new business district. That same year, an Airbus A380 maintenance facility was built at FRA to benefit Lufthansa, who wanted to station their A380 fleet at the airport. Moreover, the terminals were remodeled to handle the wide-body aircraft, which included several new gates and a third boarding bridge. In 2011, the Squaire, Germany’s largest office building, opened at Frankfurt Airport, with the main tenants being KPMG and two Hilton Hotels. The following year the people mover connected the building to a nine-story parking garage. The desire to build a fourth runway originated in 1997. Still, the previous history of outrage (with the third runway) prompted Fraport to have resident groups and environmentalists participate in the process. In 2000, the task force approved a shorter runway of 9,240 feet, serving as a landing-only for smaller aircraft. It was determined that building it northwest of the airport would cause the least impact, and construction began in 2009. The runway opened on October 20th, 2011, with the first aircraft landing carrying Chancellor Angela Merkel. Its location allows the airport to increase capacity from 83 to 126 aircraft movements per hour. That same year, night flights were discontinued at the airport following a ruling of the Hessian Administration Court. In 2012 a new terminal section called Flugsteig A-Plus (adjacent to Terminal 1 and able to handle four Airbus A380s or seven Boeing 747-8/747-400 at once) opened for exclusive use by Lufthansa for their long-haul flights, increasing capacity by 6 million annual passengers. A new Ryanair base opened at FRA in November 2016, and by February of the following year, it was serving 24 routes. As the airline was granted steep discounts, the move was highly criticized, particularly by Lufthansa.

The airport is located 7.5 miles southwest of central Frankfurt, near the Autobahn intersection Frankfurter Kreuz. 

• A third terminal is scheduled for opening in 2026. Slated to cost 3 billion euros, the new terminal will be able to service 15 million annual passengers, bringing the total airport capacity to 90 million passengers. 
• Besides the two Hilton Hotels at the Square, there is also a Sheraton Hotel adjacent to Terminal 1 with 1,008 rooms. 
• The landside of Terminal 1 features the Airport City Mall, which features both national and international retailers, several restaurants, and a supermarket. 
• The FBOs at FRA are FAS Frankfurt Aviation Service, BACF (Business Aviation Centre Frankfurt), and Signature Flight Support.