Frankfurt International finally has a fourth runway, and here’s why it matters to you. According to Airports Council International, FRA is the world’s ninth-busiest airport. Problem is it hasn’t been able to keep up with the demand for flights. It hasn’t had enough runway capacity. In some instances, that’s limited your opportunity to make more convenient connections – or flat out delayed the flight you’d booked.
Frankfurt’s new airstrip, a 2,800-meter-long long affair, means the airport can gradually boost capacity by about 50 percent, from 83 takeoffs and landings per hour to a far more formidable 126.
In a prepared statement, Executive Board Chairman of Fraport AG (which runs the airport) Dr, Stefan Schulte, said, “This new runway will allow Frankfurt Airport finally to overcome its capacity constraints and offer the international aviation industry growth opportunities once again.” Schulte contends the fourth runway will also allow the airport “to deliver our airlines and passengers even better punctuality.”
Ever-aware of the environment, the $1 billion-plus runway entailed constructing a taxiway over a highway, reforesting vast swaths of land, and relocating wildlife. This is Germany, and the Greens have had significant input in this project.
Even as Frankfurt moves forward, London Heathrow seems stuck, its status as Europe’s busiest international airport in clear jeopardy. Plans were scrapped last year for a third runway at LHR, one that would have cut delays and increased capacity. The upshot: in the coming years chances are decidedly better that you’ll be changing planes at either Paris Charles De Gaulle or Frankfurt International. Both have room to handle more flights. Some 40 percent of the air traffic in and out of FRA is intercontinental, and a significant slice of that is to the United States.
What’s your favorite place to connect in Europe?
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Steve Jurvetson)
