Now only the passengers are missing: The new Pier G at the largest German airport in Frankfurt is ready.
Due to the corona-related slump in passenger numbers, the new section for up to five million passengers a year is not scheduled to go into operation until 2026 together with the rest of Terminal 3.
Until then, Pier G remains in a kind of resting state.
At the largest German airport, the annual number of passengers fell from 70.5 million in the record year 2019 to almost 25 million recently.
These can still be processed in the two existing terminals for years to come.
exceed pre-crisis levels by 2026
"According to the current forecasts, we assume that we will again significantly exceed the pre-crisis level of 70 million passengers in 2026," said Fraport CEO Stefan Schulte on Thursday during a tour of Gate G.
If passenger numbers pick up more quickly, commissioning could also be brought forward. According to Fraport, a preparation time of around twelve months is required for this.
The Frankfurt airport operator had brought forward the construction phase under pressure from low-cost airlines in order to end the urgent narrowness in the two existing terminal buildings by 2022 at the latest.
According to Schulte, the capacity of the new pier can be expanded to up to seven million passengers a year if necessary.