Frankfurt Airport expansion welcomed

The decision to construct a new runway and a third terminal at Frankfurt Airport in Germany has been welcomed in the aviation industry.

Work began on January 20th to enable the airport to handle up to 700,000 aircraft movements per year and up to 88 million annual passengers by the year 2020.

The International Air Transport Association welcomed the approval of the expansion in Frankfurt, with director general Giovanni Bisignani calling it "an important decision for Germany".

Olivier Jankovec, director general of the Airports Council International Europe, said the project demonstrated Frankfurt Airport's commitment to the future.

He added: "The airport has been operating at its capacity limit for a number of years and [its] coordinated runway capacity will rise from just over 80 slots to 126 slots per hour, representing a 50 per cent increase.

"The overall terminal capacity at Frankfurt Airport will rise to 88 million passengers, helping European connectivity to keep up-to-speed with the development of super-hubs in the Gulf."

More than 53 million people travelled to and from Frankfurt Airport in 2008, catching flights with carriers including Lufthansa, British Airways, Continental Airlines and Gulf Air.

Posted by Teddie, 22 January 2009 14:08

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• Frankfurt
• Gulf Air
• Lufthansa
• Continental Airlines
• British Airways