Rhine-Main Airport is one of the main and busiest German international airports, ranking fourth in terms of passenger traffic in Europe. In terms of occupancy, the airport ranks 12th in the world. It is located near Frankfurt am Main. The area of the airport is 2 thousand hectares. Frankfurt Airport consists of two terminals, 4 runways and aircraft maintenance pavilions.
The southern part of the airport was part of the Rhine Main Air Force Base, where American military aircraft were based from 1947 to 2005. Already in the new millennium, this sector was acquired by Fraport, which operates Frankfurt Airport.
The airport is connected by air with 264 settlements in 113 countries of the world.
Airport foundation
The airport, formerly known as the Rhine-Main airport and airship base, was opened near Frankfurt on 8 July 1936. Almost immediately, it received the status of the second largest airport in Germany. Here was the anchorage of the two largest German airships: the Count Zepellin and the Hindenburg. It was originally planned that Frankfurt would become the main transport hub in Germany, but after the Hindenburg disaster on April 6, 1937 in Lakehurst, America, it became clear that the era of airships had come to an end.
During the Second World War, German units of the Luftwaffe were based here. It was from here that the airplanes flew to France. In August 1944, a concentration camp was set up in Frankfurt, and its prisoners, mostly Jews, were forced to serve the airport. During the 1944 bombing of Frankfurt, the Allies destroyed the runway and airport buildings. Its reconstruction after the surrender of Germany in 1945 was taken up by the United States of America, since it was planned to organize a US military base in Frankfurt.
Passenger airport
In 1951, the airport became a passenger airport and after a while it served half a million people a year. By the 1960s, the first 3 km long runway had been built. At the same time, the airport became the second largest airport in Europe. The airport management is thinking about building a new terminal. In the next decade, another 3, 7 km long strip appeared here for air transport and a new hangar for six turbojet aircraft.
The new Central Airport Terminal was completed in 1972. At the same time, a railway station was opened here: now getting from Frankfurt am Main to the airport has become much easier than before. The third runway was built in 1984. The second terminal appeared 6 years later. Thus, the passenger traffic through the first terminal has been significantly reduced. In 1999, a railway station was opened near the airport, from where high-speed trains Inter City Express depart, heading to Cologne.
From 2005 to 2007, both terminals were reconstructed, as the leading German carrier Lufthansa decided to enrich its fleet with a spacious Airbus A380 aircraft, which required some changes in the airport structure. The fourth runway was opened in October 2011 in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Airport infrastructure
Frankfurt International Airport is quite large. It consists of two large terminals and one annex, which is only used by Lufthansa. Let's talk about each of the terminals in more detail.
Terminal 1 is the oldest and largest terminal in the airport. Its capacity is more than 5 tens of millions of passengers per year. It is divided into 4 sectors: A, B, C and Z. The length of the terminal is 420 meters. It serves large aircraft such as the Airbus A380.
Terminal 1 consists of three parts: the departure hall, the arrival hall and the baggage claim room. On the ground floor there is a metro station and a multi-level car park. The bus stop is located at the door of the arrivals hall. Terminal 1 has 54 gates to the airfield (25 in Concourse A, 18 in Concourse B, 11 in Concourse C).
On October 10, 2012, the opening of an 800-meter extension called Terminal-Plus took place. It is adjacent to the Terminal 1 building. The new part of the terminal houses lounges for passengers traveling with Lufthansa and Star Alliance members.
Terminal 1 serves for the arrival and departure of aircraft to the countries neighboring Germany (Austria, Switzerland, Belgium), to the states of Asia (Turkey, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore), Europe (Greece, Scandinavia), America (United States, Canada) and to South Africa.
Terminal 2 opened in 1994. It consists of two sectors - D and E. You can get from the first terminal to the second through zones C and D. The terminal receives 15 million passengers annually. It provides 42 exits to the aircraft. There is a railway station under Terminal 2, which receives trains every two minutes. From here you can easily reach Frankfurt am Main city center. Regular buses also stop at the terminal, delivering passengers to the city.
Aircraft from Namibia, the USA, many Asian and European countries, including Russia, arrive at this terminal.
Terminal first class
Lufthansa has its own VIP terminal at Frankfurt Airport, which is located next to Terminal 1. It employs 200 people to serve 300 passengers a day. Terminal employees provide security and customs checks. The terminal has a free outdoor car park, a restaurant, individual storage rooms, a smoking room and a spa. Passengers are transported from the terminal to the plane in luxury Mercedes-Benz S-class and Porsche Panamer vehicles.
The First Class Terminal can only be used by passengers flying with Lufthansa, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines Group, Lufthansa Regional and SWISS. This terminal is closed for passengers using the services of other airlines.
Everything for the convenience of passengers
The airport management takes care of its guests and does everything to make it convenient and comfortable for them to wait for their flight. For example, in the terminal sector used by Lufthansa, every passenger is entitled to free tea and coffee. There are counters with hot water, coffee machines, containers with sugar, tea bags, napkins in the waiting room between the exits to the airfield. Anyone can make their own drink.
In addition, a number of innovations are provided at Frankfurt Airport, which will surely delight discerning passengers:
- parking for women. Ladies can pre-book one of the 250 specially designated parking spaces at designated airport parking spots. So they can play it safe and be confident in their safety;
- special services for people with disabilities. The airport has special convenient check-in counters for such passengers, special wide toilets, etc.;
- delivery of goods from Duty Free home. A passenger can spend several hours before their flight shopping at 25 duty-free shops, and then take advantage of the airport's unique offer to deliver selected goods to their home;
- ordering goods on the Internet. If the connection between flights is small, but you want to buy souvenirs in memory of Frankfurt, then this can be done on the Internet in advance. A bag with beautifully packaged purchases will be brought directly to the boarding point;
- the presence of prayer rooms. There are special rooms at the airport where believers of different confessions can be alone with their thoughts and God;
- the opportunity to get married right at the airport. This interesting offer from the airport is for those who want to make their wedding unforgettable;
- hotel for pets. If the owner leaves on business in another city or country and does not know with whom to leave his pet, then a solution has been found: the animal will shelter the Frankfurt airport.
Traveling with children
Young children, who usually find it difficult to endure long waiting times, will not be bored at Frankfurt Airport. There is a children's corner for them, which can be found near gate B48 in the waiting room for privileged passengers. There is an arena for the little ones, a play area, comfortable tables with miniature chairs where you can play board games or draw with pencils and paints, game consoles, computers and even a cinema. Kids can spend more than one hour in the children's room.
Older children will surely enjoy the tour of the airport. It lasts 45 minutes. Adults and young guests are shown the airfield and aircraft hangars. At the same time, a trip on a sightseeing bus around the airport is accompanied by an interesting and informative explanation of the guide. Information is presented in an accessible and understandable form.
Parents will appreciate another offer of the airport - every passenger traveling with babies can rent a baby stroller for free. The wheelchair pick-up point is located in the information center and near counter 10 in zone B of terminal 1. In terminal 2, wheelchairs are given out near the service counter in the sector between zones D and E. …
