How Many Terminals Does Frankfurt Airport Have?
Frankfurt Airport (FRA), operated by Fraport AG, is Germany's busiest airport and one of Europe's largest hubs, handling around 60 million passengers a year. It has three numbered passenger terminals — Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 — though at present only Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 handle scheduled flights.
The two working terminals are very different in character. Terminal 1 is the historic heart of the airport and the home of Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners. Terminal 3 is a brand-new building south of the runways that opened in April 2026 and now handles most other international, leisure and low-cost carriers. Terminal 2, in use since 1994, closed in June 2026 for a multi-year modernisation, and its airlines moved across to Terminal 3.
Not sure which terminal your flight uses? Always check your boarding pass and our airlines at Frankfurt Airport guide before you travel.
Terminal 1 — Lufthansa & Star Alliance
Terminal 1 is split into concourses A, B, C and Z and is used by Lufthansa, the wider Lufthansa Group and its Star Alliance partners (such as United, Air Canada, SWISS, Austrian and Singapore Airlines). Concourse A mainly serves Schengen flights, while concourses B, C and Z handle non-Schengen routes, so passengers on intercontinental services clear German passport control here.
Terminal 1 sits directly above the airport's two railway stations and is connected to the Fraport multi-storey car parks, the Hilton and Sheraton hotels and The Squaire office complex. It has the widest choice of check-in desks, shops, restaurants and lounges, including the exclusive Lufthansa First Class Terminal. Compare the options in our Frankfurt Airport lounges guide.
Terminal 3 — International & Leisure Flights
Opened in April 2026 to the south of the runways, Terminal 3 is Frankfurt's newest terminal, built for up to around 19 million passengers a year in its first phase. It is arranged into piers G, H and J and now handles the airlines that previously used Terminal 2 — mostly non-Star-Alliance and international carriers such as Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Saudia and Cathay Pacific — along with leisure and low-cost services.
Terminal 3 has its own security, passport control, shops, restaurants, lounges (including SkyTeam and Emirates lounges) and a large multi-storey car park. It connects to the rest of the airport by the free Sky Line train and shuttle buses, so rail travellers still arrive at Terminal 1 and continue to Terminal 3 from there.
Terminal 2 — Closed for Modernisation
Terminal 2, with concourses D and E, opened in 1994 and served non-Star-Alliance carriers for more than 30 years. Following the opening of Terminal 3, Fraport closed Terminal 2 to passengers in June 2026 for a comprehensive, multi-year modernisation of its technical and building systems.
All of its airlines have moved to Terminal 3, so if your ticket or an older guide still mentions Terminal 2, check the current terminal for your flight before travelling. The Sky Line still passes the Terminal 2 station, but there are no passenger services there while the works continue.
Getting Between the Terminals
The free, automated Sky Line elevated train is the quickest way to move between terminals, running roughly every two minutes. The trip between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 takes around eight minutes, with total journeys across the system of up to about ten minutes. Free shuttle buses also connect the terminals and are useful for passengers with reduced mobility or a lot of luggage.
If you are connecting between flights, allow enough time — Frankfurt is a big airport, and you may need to clear passport control when moving between the Schengen and non-Schengen areas, and security again if you leave the airside zone. See our guides to arrivals and layovers at Frankfurt Airport, or arrange a door-to-door private transfer.
Rail Links, Parking & Facilities
Below Terminal 1 are two stations: the Regional Station for S-Bahn and regional trains into Frankfurt, and the Long-Distance Station for ICE and IC high-speed services across Germany and Europe. Full details are in our Frankfurt Airport train guide and our transport to the city centre guide.
Both working terminals offer the full range of passenger services — check-in, baggage, currency exchange, pharmacies, shops and dining — plus car-rental centres and multi-storey car parks. See our parking guide for rates and locations.