Munich Airport’s Terminal 2 celebrates 10th birthday

At a celebration yesterday, Munich Airport and Lufthansa, along with their joint subsidiary, the Terminal 2 Operating Company, gathered 150 guests to mark the upcoming 10th anniversary of the launch of operations of the terminal building. Terminal 2 – jointly planned, financed and operated by FMG and Lufthansa – was officially opened on June 29, 2003. In the 10 years since then, a total of 225 million travelers have used it. On hand to address the gathering on the visitor’s terrace atop the terminal were Dr. Markus Söder, the Bavarian minister of finance who also serves as the chairman of the FMG Supervisory Board, Dr. Michael Kerkloh, the president and CEO of FMG, Thomas Klühr, the Lufthansa Executive Board member in charge of Munich Passenger Operations and Helmut Schmid of Munich City Council. All of the speakers stressed the enormous influence of Terminal 2 on shaping Munich Airport.

“This terminal has yielded huge benefits for our airport by enhancing its appeal and adding to its clout. Until June 28, 2003, this was an impressive medium-sized international airport, both architecturally and from a functional standpoint. With the launch of the new terminal, we became a thriving air transportation hub ranked alongside Europe’s top airports,” explained Dr. Michael Kerkloh. Thomas Klühr, who is in charge of the now 10,000-strong Munich-based Lufthansa “crew”, also sees the first decade of the new Terminal as a success story: “Terminal 2 laid the foundation for the successful development of Lufthansa’s Munich hub. Through the joint venture, Lufthansa had the opportunity for the first time to influence the planning of a terminal building right from the start and design it to meet our passengers’ needs.” FMG and Lufthansa jointly operate Terminal 2 through the Terminal 2 operating company, in which they hold a 60% and 40% stake, respectively. Lufthansa, with the Star Alliance and its partner airlines, has exclusive use of Terminal 2. Since it opened, the terminal has consistently received top marks in passenger surveys, gaining excellent ratings especially for its high level of passenger comfort, easy navigation, efficient handling processes and the friendly ambience. A glance at the traffic statistics serves to underscore the enormous success of this facility: In the 10 years of operation, the passenger volume has increased from 16 million to 27 million per year. In 2003, Lufthansa was flying to 71 destinations from Munich. Today it serves 125. At the same time, long-haul destinations – so vital to the state of Bavaria – have nearly tripled in number from eight to 23.

In addition to Lufthansa and Air Dolomiti, the terminal is used by such carriers as Air Canada, Air China, All Nippon Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Thai Airways International and United Airlines. Among the attractive intercontinental routes served from Terminal 2 are Bangkok, Delhi, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Beijing, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, New York, Vancouver and Washington.

A total of 130 check-in desks and 19 automated bag check machines make it easy and convenient for passengers to reach the 112 gates. Airport guests have more than 100 shops and restaurants to choose from. In addition, Terminal 2 has five Lufthansa lounges with a total area of nearly 5,000 square meters (43,000 square feet).

The successful FMG-Lufthansa joint venture in Terminal 2 is continuing with the construction of a satellite terminal. The topping-out ceremony for this new passenger handling facility is scheduled for late summer of this year. When it opens, the satellite will provide handling capacity for an additional 11 million arriving and departing passengers annually. A total of 27 gate positions will ensure maximum convenience for boarding and deplaning. The satellite will be linked to Terminal 2 via an underground personal transportation system (PTS) – a kind of subway passing through an existing 400-meter tunnel beneath the apron.