Frankfurt Airport opens new interactive Visitor Centre

A rollercoaster trip through the baggage handling system via a VR headset. Photo credit: Fraport

A new attraction is opening today at Frankfurt Airport: the multimedia Fraport Visitor Centre in Terminal 1, Hall C, will welcome its first guests just in time for the summer travel season. Its wide range of interactive exhibits allows visitors of all ages to experience the fascinating world of aviation up-close.

On 1,200 square metres of floor space, around 30 innovative exhibits offer an exciting glimpse behind the scenes at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and of aviation in general. Visitors not only learn about the airport’s day-to-day operations; they also have the opportunity to review its history, discover aviation technologies, and consider the future of flight.

The exhibits invite guests to interact and immerse themselves. In one game, visitors put their marshalling skills to the test by guiding an Airbus A320neo to its parking position. A further highlight is a virtual reality (VR) ride through the airport’s baggage handling system.

Fraport CEO Dr. Stefan Schulte said: “Our multimedia Visitor Centre allows people to better understand and experience first-hand the diverse and highly complex airport world. The new attraction will also be key to strengthening long-term dialogue with our local community and guests from other parts of Germany and the world.”

“The Globe” is the most technologically sophisticated exhibit in the Visitor Centre. This interactive LCD wall visualises all active flights around the world in real time. It is made up of 28 individual displays, combined to create a single screen spanning some 25 square metres. The system is truly unique: nowhere else is capable of depicting thousands of flight movements in such detail. Flight data for The Globe are provided by FlightAware, a U.S. flight tracking platform. Fraport partners with FlightAware to process data required for operations at Frankfurt Airport. In particular, the data provided by FlightAware allow better planning of airport processes.

The Fraport Visitor Center was completed in autumn 2020, following two years of construction, at a cost of approximately €5.7 million. “We had to postpone its opening multiple times due to the pandemic. I am therefore all the more pleased to now unveil our new visitor attraction at Frankfurt Airport. The centre turns the spotlight on the fascinating world of airport life,” explained Anke Giesen, member of Fraport’s Executive Board and Executive Director of Retail and Real Estate.

Tickets to the center must be purchased online in advance at www.fra-tours.com/en. Booking confirmation is required to gain admission. Currently, tickets are not available at the airport itself.

The Fraport Visitor Center will be open daily from 11 am to 7 pm. The standard entry price for adults is €12. A reduced price of €10 is available for eligible guests with corresponding ID. Children under four enter free of charge. During the current regional school vacation, ending August 27, guests will be able to park for one hour free of charge in the airport’s public garages; the parking slip must be brought to the Visitor Center’s reception desk for validation.

The Fraport Visitor Center can also be booked as an exclusive venue for events. It is equipped with the latest presentation technology, and the one-of-a-kind airport panorama makes it an ideal backdrop for product launches, press conferences and sundowner parties.