A-Plus: New Pier at Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt Airport’s (FRA) new Pier A-Plus – the 800 meter-long westward expansion of Terminal 1 – opened on schedule after about four years of construction. Flight operations begin on October 10, 2012 at the new pier, allowing Germany’s biggest hub to serve up to six million additional passengers per year – thus a total of approximately 65 million passengers per year. This €700 million terminal complex will be exclusively used by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and its Star Alliance partners.

Optimum flexibility

Pier A-Plus with 185,000m² of total useable floor space is the largest above-ground construction project at Frankfurt Airport since the opening of Terminal 2 in 1994. It provides seven docking positions for long-haul aircraft: four designed for double-decker jets like the A380 superjumbo and three more positions with two passenger bridges for aircraft like the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus 340. Alternatively, eleven narrowbody jets can be handled simultaneously at Pier A-Plus – ensuring optimum flexibility.

The new pier makes the transfer processes significantly easier and faster at Lufthansa’s biggest hub. In the future, all incoming flights from the U.S. will be handled at Area A of Terminal 1. The minimum connecting for many transfer flights on these routes will be reduced from currently 60 minutes to 45 minutes. Furthermore, the so-called docking rate will increase noticeably. That means that more aircraft can directly dock on the terminal and do not have to be parked at remote apron positions. This is much more comfortable for travelers than having to be transported to the terminal by bus, and it reduces the complexity of operations.

Central marketplaces

A new standard is also set in terms of retail concepts at this new expansion of Terminal 1. A total surface area of about 12,000 square meters is dedicated to some 60 shops and restaurants, which are mainly concentrated at two central marketplaces. For the first time at FRA, Duty Free and Travel Value Shops are conceptualized as walk-through shops. Travelers are automatically led through the sales area after passing the security control points. 

Very energy-efficient

In designing the pier, besides the comfort of passengers, great importance was also attached to environmental protection. An insulated building shell as well as elements in the glass façade on the South side which provide shade, cut down the development of heat. Thus, passengers enjoy a pleasant room climate and simultaneously energy is saved which would otherwise be used to cool the pier. Efficient heat exchangers which make use of waste heat for cooling are a further feature of the sustainable building technology, just like LED room lights. Intelligent, automated building technology contributes to the A-Plus pier requiring 40 percent less energy and emitting 28 percent less CO₂ than required in the 2007 Energy Saving Ordinance. Thus, sustainable flying starts at the A-Plus pier.

The conservation of natural resources is a major concern for the Lufthansa Group when planning, renovating or constructing its buildings. The Lufthansa Aviation Center in Frankfurt was built according to ecological principles, and the new satellite building in Munich will be, too.

High travel comfort

Pier A-Plus features five Lufthansa lounges: one First Class, two Senator and two Business lounges where guests can take a break, work or get refreshed. These facilities expand Lufthansa’s total lounge space at FRA by almost 50 percent to more than 14,000 square meters. Other details in the pier enhance the comfort of passengers: The moving walkways are longer and broader in order to shorten walking distances and to pass other guests who are not in a hurry. Furthermore, the generous waiting areas have seats with integrated power outlets and USB ports for electronic devices. Learn more about the Lufthansa lounges.

Facts & Figures

Owner	Fraport AG
User	Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Start of operation	10 Oct. 2012
Capacity	up to 6 million Passenger volume per year
Gross floor space	around 185.400 m² (about 25 football pitches)
Length	790 m
Width	28 m
Extendable gangways	18
Number of gates	27
Lounges	5

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