Airport Expansion Plans

Plans to add a third runway to Munich Airport - Germany's second largest - have been approved by the airport's supervisory board and share holders. Full details of the cost, location and construction schedule have yet to be decided but, according to airport operator FMG, the expansion is vital to meet predicted growth.

Munich Airport opened in 1992 and its existing two parallel 4 km long runways can operate independently, with the capacity to handle up to 89 aircraft movements an hour. More than 27,8 million passengers passed through the hub last year. The airport's CEO Dr Michael Kerkloh predicts passenger numbers will continue to grow, creating a capacity problem if the airport does not expand.

FMG's passenger number forecasts mean that the existing runways could be operating at full capacity as early as 2008 and by 2010, capacity will no longer be able to keep pace with demand. Construction of the third runway would increase the airport's capacity to 120 landings per hour.