Frankfurt Airport is one of the leading European "superhubs" best suited for the arrival of the new Airbus A380 superjumbo, airport operator Fraport said.

Its comments came as it became the latest European airport operator to provide an update on preparations for the New Generation Large Aircraft (NGLA), the first of which is expected to start operations at Frankfurt in 2007. Fraport said May 5 that its preparations had been long in the making.

"The superjumbo will fulfill a vision that Fraport has had for many years," said Fraport spokesman Robert Payne, who pointed out that Frankfurt's Terminal 2, which opened in October 1994, was the first terminal in the world designed from the outset to handle NGLAs. Up to five A380s, along with three B747-400s, can dock at Terminal 2.

At Terminal 1, several docking positions at Pier B-East and B-West are envisioned for handling the A380, although Fraport has said some modifications are required. Further positions for the A380 can be added when required as part of the continuing redevelopment of Terminal 1 and the adjacent Lufthansa base, the airport operator reported.

Frankfurt has three 4,000-meter runways and sufficiently large taxiways to handle the new generation aircraft. Fraport's Aviation Ground Services and Logistics division, which provides handling for the majority of airlines at Frankfurt, is also already planning for the A380.

In January 2003, Fraport initiated steps to obtain planning approval for the construction of a new 125 million euro (US$151 million) A380 maintenance base, including a hangar with associated workshops, ramp and taxiway areas. The zoning planning procedure is expected to conclude in the second half of 2004, according to officials.

By 2015, German airline Lufthansa expects to have a fleet of 15 superjumbos stationed at Frankfurt.

Speaking at Fraport's annual financial results conference last month, Fraport Chairman Wilhelm Bender argued that creation of maintenance capacity at Frankfurt Airport for the Airbus A380 "is decisive for the future competitiveness" of Fraport, Frankfurt airport and the entire Frankfurt region.