Infrastructure: expansion for increasing mobility needs

Air traffic at Munich Airport has increased to over 80 percent of the pre-crisis level in 2023. The German federal government ³⁾ as well as experts believe that the long-term demand for mobility and thus global air traffic will continue to grow. Munich Airport’s task is to provide the necessary capacities. We are strengthening our development prospects with demand-driven expansion and refurbishment projects.

Construction progress on Terminal 1 extension

The expansion and modernization of Terminal 1 is a strategic expansion project that will secure the future viability and competitiveness of Munich Airport. Interior work on the new 96,000 square meter pier began in spring 2023. The technical building installations are already well underway. At the end of 2024, the first business partners will be able to start designing their rental spaces. Since June 2023, the area in the existing Terminal 1, which will serve as the central entrance and exit hall for the non-Schengen area, has also been undergoing redesign. Once the new pier goes into operation, passengers can expect 16 additional piers, twelve state-of-the-art security screening lanes, and a new baggage claim area. The new building will also feature a spacious marketplace with an extensive retail and restaurant offering, as well as two new lounges with panoramic views of the western apron.

LabCampus opened as an innovation hub

In the northwest of the airport grounds, we have opened the LabCampus, a unique innovation center that is an ideal environment for cross-industry and cross-company collaboration. The proximity of research and business plays an important role here.

«LAB 48» was commissioned at the beginning of February 2023. With an area of approximately 30,000 square meters, the office building offers flexibly expandable offices, spacious communal areas, test areas, and showrooms. In 2023, German air traffic control (DFS) and amplimind, a joint venture between Audi and Lufthansa Industry Solutions, moved into the office space there. Exotec, a development company for warehouse robotics and automation, will move in in fall 2024. Since 2023, «LAB 52» has provided 14,000 square meters of modern office space as well as seminar rooms with high-quality technical equipment. The main tenant is the AirportAcademy, the airport’s training and education center, which also offers external companies numerous training opportunities.

LabCampus

New developments in accessing the airport

The improvement of rail connections is of high strategic relevance for Munich Airport. It represents a crucial prerequisite for more sustainable arrivals and departures and also makes it possible to secure and expand the catchment area. In 2023, additional progress was made: The existing supra-regional airport express (ÜFEX) between the airport and Regensburg will be extended to Nuremberg starting at the end of 2024. In addition, the Bavarian state government has secured funding for the western flyover structure, which will be used to separate the S1 and S8 lines on the approach to the airport. Once it goes into operation at the end of 2028, it will help to improve the quality of operations and increase train station capacity at the airport. It was also possible to include the airport’s connection to long-distance passenger rail services in the «potential requirements» of the requirements plan in the Federal Rail Infrastructure Expansion Act. At the same time, a specific service concept for connecting the airport is being developed for the current update of the synchronized German railway timetable, which forms the basis for the expansion of the rail infrastructure. This is to be handed over to the responsible Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV)at the beginning of 2024. Both are crucial steps in order to achieve the necessary classification as «urgent need», which is a prerequisite for the start of detailed planning.

Strategic construction projects