The incredible £3.4bn airport expansion creating new travel capital

An international airport in a popular European country is undergoing an impressive expansion worth £3.4billion (around four billion euros) that will change the way people travel across the continent. Frankfurt's International Airport is building a new terminal, making it one of the largest construction projects in Europe.

The new terminal, which is being built in several phases, is likely to be completed by 2026. According to the officials, the new Terminal 3 covers an area the size of 25 football fields, and will have room to handle 25 million passengers a year once it is fully completed. The initial phase-which includes the main terminal and Piers H and J-kicked off in 2015 and is expected to become operational in 2026.

Pier G, part of the second phase, was structurally finished back in April 2022 and is also slated to open in 2026 under the current schedule.

Frankfurt is a modern city known as Germany's financial heart. Its massive airport-situated southwest of the city centre-makes it a key global travel hub. With flights to 330 destinations, it's one of the busiest and best-connected airports worldwide. The airport has two main terminals and four runways, spread across an area nearly half the size of Manhattan.

Once completed, visitors will be able to reach the new terminal either by car or public transport. Drivers can use a large elevated drive-in platform, situated right in front of the departure gates, along with an eight-storey parking garage that will hold up to 8,500 vehicles.

Those using public transport can take the Skyline-a fast, driverless train system-which links Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 in just eight minutes.

Christoph Mäckler, the architect who designed Terminal 3 said: "These days airports have become a destination in their own right. In fact, they typically receive more visitors than many city centers. This makes it even more important for airports to also perform some of the same functions as cities. We're making this happen in Terminal 3.

"This clearly sets Frankfurt Airport apart from other international airports. It's going to be the world's first terminal in which people can actually feel good."

Frankfurt Airport's new Terminal 3 will offers a variety of food choices in a stylish, relaxed atmosphere with a number of restaurants and cafes to be opened for the travellers.

The official website reads: "The idea isn't just to create a place that people pass through on their way from A to B, but a city in its own right. A place where people can work, shop, eat, relax - and, of course, leave on trips. The light-flooded spaces in warm natural colors are intended to evoke a pleasant ambiance that encourages passengers to relax and stay a while."