New Frankfurt Terminal 3 sees first departure by Etihad Airways

UAE national carrier Etihad Airways has become the first airline to depart from Frankfurt Airport’s newly developed Terminal 3, which was inaugurated on 23 April 2026.

The new terminal design is marked by spacious check-in and security areas featuring floor-to-ceiling windows. Between gates, travellers will find a 6,000-square-metre central marketplace complete with restaurants, retail and lounge seating overlooking the terminal’s apron. Additional facilities include play areas, workstations and a Skyline rail link connecting Terminal 3 to the rest of the airport.

Etihad Airways’ Chief Operations and Guest Officer, Captain Majed Al Marzouqi, said: "Etihad has been flying between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt since 2005, and today the airport opened a terminal that changes the experience for everyone passing through it.” 

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Currently, the carrier operates two daily flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport (AUH) via the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Elsewhere in the country, Etihad flies to Munich, Düsseldorf and the capital, Berlin. 

Other carriers, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Korean Air and China Eastern, are also set to move from Terminal 2 to the new facility.

Operated by German entity Fraport, the new base can accommodate up to 19 million passengers annually in its initial phase, with a future capacity of up to 25 million passengers per year. As of February 2026, the airport recorded nearly 8 million passengers and more than 60,600 aircraft movements year-to-date, according to data from Fraport. 

For more information, visit etihad.com. For more information on Frankfurt, visit Connecting Travel’s dedicated Frankfurt hub and visitfrankfurt.travel/en