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Frankfurt Airport Starts Operational Trials at New Terminal 3 Ahead of April Opening

The exercises use thousands of volunteers to pressure-test passenger flows ahead of phased moves from the aging Terminal 2.

Overview

  • More than 200 volunteers ran through immigration, check-in, passport control, security, baggage drop and boarding on January 27 as the first large-scale test day.
  • Fraport plans repeated trials on Tuesdays and Thursdays through April using about 8,000 extras and operational staff, with up to 1,000 test participants on some days.
  • Test participants were selected to reflect varied needs, including digitally savvy travelers and older passengers who prefer analogue information.
  • The terminal is designed for roughly 19 million passengers per year, with an official opening set for April 22 and first flights scheduled for April 23.
  • Airlines now using Terminal 2 are slated to relocate to Terminal 3 in four waves by summer, including groups aligned with British Airways and Air France-KLM plus Etihad and Emirates, while Star Alliance carriers remain in Terminal 1.