Munich Airport to Open Germany's First Midfield Terminal on 26 April 2016

Munich Airport will open its new satellite terminal – Germany's first midfield terminal – on 26 April 2016.

The satellite terminal is a continuation of the successful joint venture between Munich Airport and Lufthansa. As in Terminal 2, the partners have joined forces to design, build and finance the new passenger handling facility on a 60:40 basis. The Munich architectural firm Koch + Partner was selected for the design and general planning.

The new facility will give Munich Airport 27 new gate positions where passengers can board aircraft directly without bus transportation.

With the new satellite facility, the capacity of Terminal 2, which is used by Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners, will be increased by 11 million to 36 million passengers per year.

The satellite terminal will also offer passengers a wide range of shopping and dining options as well as five new Lufthansa lounges to choose from. Passengers will be able to enjoy free access to the airport-wide Wi-Fi network, and can plug their devices into USB and power outlets in the waiting areas.

The satellite has no direct landside transportation links. Check-in will take place in Terminal 2. Passengers will then undergo passport screening and hand baggage checks before boarding the airport's own underground transport system that will take them to the satellite terminal in barely a minute.

Awaiting passengers in the satellite terminal is an entirely new dining and shopping experience, with 15 retail areas, seven restaurants and cafes and three duty free zones in a spacious, 7,000 square meter setting.

The satellite also features plenty of services to meet the needs and desires of the modern traveller, including quiet areas with reclining chairs, play areas for children, changing tables in the men's and women's washrooms, and four showers. All services are situated at the center of the new building.

The five new Lufthansa lounges, with an area of 4,000 square meters, nearly doubles the total area of the Terminal 2 lounge facilities.

The new terminal also features a roof terrace, panoramic windows and a bar overlooking the airport apron.

Forming the heart of the new passenger facility is the central marketplace, which is flooded with natural light. Market stands, each with a theme, are an authentic tribute to the Viktualienmarkt, Munich's renowned open-air market.

The satellite also sets new standards for environmentally friendly operations and energy efficiency. Advanced building materials and innovative heating, cooling and lighting technologies reduce energy consumption to a minimum. A 40% reduction in CO2 emissions in the new facility as compared with the airport's existing terminal buildings is achieved partly through special "climate-optimized facades". These 4.5 meter wide zones separate the air conditioned interior of the satellite from the outdoor space, acting as a climate buffer while providing usable space with escalators for passengers to change levels. The facade is made of a newly developed type of glass with a special coating that allows sunlight to enter while keeping out the heat.

Total investments in the satellite terminal amount to about 900 million euros, including the costs for the new building itself, the expansion of the baggage sorting facility and the construction work on the ramps and taxiways near the terminal. The costs for the building and expanding the baggage sorting facility are being shared on a 60:40 basis by Munich Airport and Lufthansa, The entire cost of the improvements to the ramp was covered by the airport.

Preparatory work for the new passenger building started in the summer of 2011. The cornerstone was laid on 23 April 2012, and the topping-out ceremony took place on 12 September 2013. Construction of the building itself was completed in the fall of 2015. This was followed by the operational testing phase, with extensive trials involving more than 3,000 participants playing the role of passengers.

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