Hesse Economics Ministry Issues Zoning Approval for A380 Maintenance Base

Frankfurt/Main - The Hesse Ministry of Economics, Transportation, and State Development today issued zoning approval for the construction of the A380 maintenance base at Frankfurt Airport (FRA). Thus, the right to build the new maintenance base has been officially confirmed. Now that zoning approval has been issued, the A380 facility is expected to open by the autumn of 2007 in time for the flight inauguration of Lufthansa's first two A380 superjumbos. In its latest session, the Hesse state parliament in Wiesbaden also underscored the importance of the new maintenance facility for the regional job market and Frankfurt Airport.

However, Frankfurt Airport will not start irreversible development of the site emphasized Fraport AG's executive board vice-chairman Prof. Manfred Schölch. "The Hesse Administrative High Court in Kassel will have an opportunity adequately to examine urgent petitions expected to be filed against the maintenance base construction plans," Schölch said. Irrespective of this, unpostponable site preparation work for the construction - such as drilling soil samples - should begin right away.