The expected exit of the US Air Force from Frankfurt opens options for the airport
Ed Reavis/FRANKFURT
State and local officials in Germany say they expect the US Air Force to vacate some of the world's prime airport territory within the next three to five years, opening a range of expansion options for Frankfurt International Airport.
Occupied by US forces since the final stages of the Second World War, the 160Ha (420 acre) Rhein-Main AB handles about 3,000 movements a year, mainly by large cargo and aerial refuelling aircraft. The base has been handling 60 to 100 support flights a day since the NATO air war over Yugoslavia began.
Frankfurt's airport and Rhein-Main share two runways that are used for take-offs and landings and a third that is used only for take-offs. The commercial airport's air traffic controllers manage airborne traffic for both, but military controllers take over the military aircraft once they move on to their own ramp area.
The cost of moving the USAF's existing operations at Rhein-Main, known as the "Gateway to Europe", to Ramstein and Spangdahlem air bases in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz is estimated at $400 million. The German Government, the states of Hesse and Rheinland-Pfalz, NATO and Flughafen Aktien Gesellschaft (FAG), the organisation that administers Frankfurt's airport, would all contribute to the moving costs, according to Rheinland-Pfalz state secretary Klaus Rütter. He says: "We've been negotiating with the Americans since April 1998. We expect to sign an agreement before summer and the Americans will start to move shortly thereafter. The move is expected to take three to five years."
US officials are cautious about commenting on the reported agreement. The US Air Force in Europe (USAFE) says: "We cannot confirm or deny any details of an agreement because there hasn't been one yet. Nothing has been finalised nor signed. But negotiations with the Germans are moving forward."
Frankfurt Mayor Petra Roth told a television audience that her city will contribute $30 million and FAG between $80 and $100 million to the move. FAG says, however, that "some politicians and the media have jumped the gun. There are negotiations and they are progressing to the satisfaction of both sides, but it's anybody's guess when we reach an agreement."
News of the move gave hope to citizens in a large number of communities bordering the international airport that have been fending off attempts by FAG to build another runway. FAG's chief executive, Wilhelm Bender, says the airport sorely needs the capability of handling 120 take-offs and landings an hour to keep pace with Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam's Schiphol airports. Frankfurt Airport handles 76 take-offs and landings an hour, increasing to 87 an hour in the summer.
FAG says the acquisition of Rhein-Main will not solve the international airport's space problem, but will help develop the airport's Cargo City, which it opened on property relinquished by the USAF several years ago. It will also allow construction of additional administration buildings, commercial offices and aircraft parking. "A new runway on the American side would only hinder current operations," FAG says.
Lufthansa, Frankfurt airport's largest user, says the take-over of the US base would have little effect on the airline. "It could mean that we would have a few more slots - a fraction of a percent more - but no more," it says.
According to the airline, FAG could increase its Cargo City capacity on the American side, but it would not be usable by Lufthansa with its cargo area situated far to the north. The airline adds: "Our problem of how to increase the number of takeoffs and landings can only be solved by a massive expansion of the airport."
A new runway would almost double the number of employees, according to a FAG manager. The airport employs 58,400 people in 430 businesses, institutions and in official capacities. But a new runway means cutting into a nearby forest region. For almost a year, an ongoing forum of expert witnesses and citizens from towns on the perimeter of the airport have been discussing the pros and cons of airport expansion. The most recent expert report on expansion to the forum was provided by the US Federal Aviation Administration at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars.
The FAA looked at 16 possibilities and concluded that a new runway on the air base side would not solve the airport's problem because it would geographically hinder and thus reduce traffic on existing runways. The study showed that up to 98 take-offs and landings would be possible from the current airport with a different radar system and altered take-off and landing procedures. The report also says the use of the US Army air base in Erbenheim 18km (11 miles) away would not be viable because of the distance from the runway to the two main terminals.
Rheinland-Pfalz's Rütter sees the move as a boon to local business and jobs for a region dubbed "America's largest aircraft carrier" because of the number of nearby US air bases.
Despite the move, Rhein-Main will continue to play a role in NATO and US strategy. "There are multilateral treaties between Germany and other NATO states that will allow US aircraft to use their bases in times of crises," a FAG manager says. In an extreme case, NATO may occupy the base for the duration of a crisis.
Source: Flight International