Runway System
Frankfurt Airport has four runways of which three are arranged parallel in east-west direction and one in north-south direction.
| Direction/name | Length in m / ft | Surface | Arrangement | Start of operation | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07C/25C (Runway North) | 4000 × 60 / 13,123 × 197 | Asphalt | East-west | 1936 | Take-offs (landings allowed) |
| 07R/25L (Runway South) | 4000 × 45 / 13,123 × 148 | Asphalt | East-west | 1949 | Take-offs and landings |
| 18 (Runway West) | 4000 × 45 / 13,123 × 148 | Concrete | North-south | 1984 | Take-offs in southbound direction only |
| 07L/25R (Runway Northwest) | 2800 × 45 / 9,240 × 148 | Concrete | East-west | 2011 | Landings only (not allowed for Airbus A380, Boeing 747, MD-11) |
During normal operation the two outer parallel runways (07L/25R and 07R/25L) are used for landings and the central parallel runway (07C/25C) and the Runway West (18) for take-offs. The three parallel runways have two markings because they can be operated in two directions while the Runway West can only be used in one direction.
In 2010 three runways (Runways North, South and West) handled 464,432 aircraft movements, which equated 83 movements per hour. With the start of operation of the Runway Northwest in October 2011 the airport should be able to handle 126 movements per hour. It is predicted that aircraft movements will increase up to 700,000 in the year 2020. By the use of the fourth runway Frankfurt Airport is able for the first time to handle independent parallel landings because the distance between the north and the north-west runways is 1,400 m (4,593 ft). This was not possible with the north and south runways because they do not meet the safety distance ordered by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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