The history of Frankfurt Airport – From small airfield to international hub

The Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA) is now one of the largest and most important airports in the world. Millions of travelers from all over the world start and land here every year. But how did everything start? We take a look back at the exciting history of Frankfurt Airport – from the beginnings to the modern aviation hub.

The beginnings – the first airport in Frankfurt

The history of air transport in Frankfurt began early: 1909 the International Aircraft Exhibition took place here, a precursor of modern aviation trade fairs.

The actual first airport Frankfurt was opened in 1924 – in Frankfurt. Smaller aircraft started there, but it became clear: The terrain is too small to keep pace with the growing air traffic.

The move to Frankfurt am Main

Am 8. July 1936 the new airport was inaugurated southwest of the city – in the place where Frankfurt Airport is also located today. With a 1,000 meter long runway, he was one of the most modern airports in Europe.

In the 1950s, the importance grew strongly: Frankfurt became the Gate to the World for West Germany and quickly became the most important airport in the Federal Republic.

Expansion in the 1970s and 1980s

To keep pace with the increasing number of passengers, a phase of intensive expansion began:

  • 1972 the Terminal 1 opened – a gigantic building with state-of-the-art finishing technology.
  • 1984 the Startbahn West, which was discussed controversially, but the capacity of the airport increased significantly.
  • 1994 the Terminal 2 which offered additional capacity and comfort.

With these extensions, Frankfurt was finally one of the most important airports in Europe.

Frankfurt today – a global hub

Today is the Airport Frankfurt a state-of-the-art city in the city:

  • Over 2,300 hectares area
  • More than 61 million passengers per year (2024)
  • Round 81,000 employees – Germany’s largest local workplace
  • One of the largest freight airports in the world

This means that the airport is not only a place to start and land, but also a huge economic factor for the entire region.

The future: Terminal 3

With the construction of Terminal 3 the history of Frankfurt Airport is further written. from 2026 to 25 million additional passengers a year. Modern technology, a private car park with thousands of pitches and a new Skyline train make travel even more comfortable.

Arrival then and today – Parking and Shuttle Service

While travellers often came to the airport by train or taxi in the 1930s, the Arrival by car established as a standard. Today tens of thousands of vehicles travel to and from the airport.

The Parking Frankfurt Airport and stay stress-free, offer modern service providers such as Parkda24:

This is how the journey begins relaxed – a clear difference from the initial times of the airport.

Conclusion

From the small airfield in Rebstock to the inauguration in 1936 to the modern international hub: The History of Frankfurt Airport shows impressively how aviation and infrastructure can develop.

Today, the airport is not only a symbol of mobility and internationality, but also a place where millions of travellers enter the world every day. And who wants to start his journey relaxed, puts on a safe parking and comfortable Shuttleservice von Parkda24.