I
In 1999 a second railway
station, primarily for
InterCityExpress long-distance
trains (called Frankfurt Airport
long-distance station), opened
near Terminal 1 as part of the
new Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
At the same time local and regional rail
services were based at the existing
underground station, now renamed
Frankfurt Airport regional station.
The apron of Terminal 2
Closure of the Rhein-Main Air Base
On 30 December 2005, the Rhein-Main Air Base in the southern part of the airport ground
was closed and the US Air Force moved to Ramstein Air Base. The property was handed
back to Fraport which allows the airport to use it to build a new passenger terminal. The
property of the housing area for the soldiers, called Gateway Gardens, which was located
north-east of the airport site, was given back to the city of Frankfurt in the same year and
will be developed as a business district in the following years.
The Airbus A380 and The Squaire
From 2005 to 2007 a large Airbus A380 maintenance facility was built at Frankfurt Airport
because Lufthansa wanted to station their future A380 aircraft fleet there. Due to economic
constraints only half of the facility has been built so far. Both terminals also underwent
major renovations in order to handle the A380, including the installation of a third
boarding bridge at several gates. Lufthansa's first Airbus A380 went into operation in June
2010 and was named Frankfurt am Main.
In 2011 a large office building called The Squaire (a portmanteau of square and air)
opened at Frankfurt Airport. It was built on top of the Airport long-distance station and is
considered the largest office building in Germany with 140,000 m 2 (1,500,000 sq ft) floor
area. Main tenants are KPMG and two Hilton Hotels.
Since 2012 the people mover "The Squaire Metro" connects the Squaire with the nine-story
parking structure. On a length of about 300 meters the so-called MiniMetro system with its
two cabins can carry up to 1,300 passengers per hour. [7] The constructor of the system was
the Italian manufacturer Leitner.
EDDFFrankfurt
May 2017
www.alliance-airways.net
29