Munich Airport, which won the Skytrax awards for Best Airport Staff in Europe and Best Airport in Central Europe last night, used its presentation at the PTE World Conference today to outline the major expansion of Terminal 1, which is set complete next month.
Speaking in the session ‘Expansion of Terminal 1 at Munich Airport,’ Katrin Hennig, vice president of owner representation for large-scale projects, and Jonas Dröge, head of user requirements management T1 Pier, detailed the €650m (US$746m) project, which will add around 96,000m² to the airport’s non-Schengen area. It is scheduled to begin operations on April 21, 2026.
Hennig said Munich Airport handled 34.5 million passengers last year and has seen strong growth in non-Schengen traffic in recent years, helping to drive the need for the expansion. She said the airport decided more than a decade ago that it needed to expand Terminal 1 because “we had massive growth in the last few years in the non-Schengen area.”
She explained that Terminal 1, the airport’s older terminal, had become constrained, with limited space for security, passport control, retail and gate waiting areas. After considering several options, Munich opted to build a new pier extension to the north of the terminal.
The new facility will increase capacity by more than six million passengers a year and centralize key passenger processes including security, passport control and commercial space.
Dröge said construction began in 2018, with major works getting underway in early 2019, but the pandemic created major challenges. “Covid hit us pretty hard,” he revealed, noting difficulties in getting workers and materials on-site, which delayed the program.
The new pier is due to welcome its first passengers on June 23. Dröge said the airport had carried out an extended trial operations phase, which “turned out to be a good thing” in testing systems and preparing staff ahead of opening.
The speakers also highlighted the passenger experience focus of the new building, including CT scanners at security, a central marketplace with retail and food outlets, and design elements intended to give travelers a stronger sense of place.
Save the dates! PTE World 2027 will be held at RAI Amsterdam, April 6-8, 2027.
