Aviation World 2/2013

Aviation World 2/2013
Interview: Anke Giesen 08
04 Noise Abatement:
an Ongoing Task
Taxiway Mike: Overnight Repairs 09
Airline Portrait: Asiana Airlines 14

04 Noise Abatement
09 Overnight Repairs
14 Airline Portrait
2 Check-in
Dear Reader,
Dr. Stefan Schulte
Executive Board Chairman
Fraport AG
Fraport and Frankfurt Airport are well placed to meet the diverse and growing challenges
– economic, regulatory, environmental and competitive factors – that are rapidly
changing the face of our air transportation industry worldwide. To meet these challenges,
Fraport has a solid integrated business strategy; Frankfurt Airport is undergoing
capacity expansion and, at the same time, emerging as a dynamic Airport City to serve
a mobile society. In short, we are always striving to improve our Frankfurt global hub.
For example, FRA recently received the Skytrax “2013 World’s Most Improved Airport”
award in recognition of its successful “Great to Have You Here!” service program which
provides various initiatives and innovations to enhance the passenger experience.
Honors like this are encouraging and motivate all of us to continuously increase service
quality for the more than 57 million passengers using FRA annually.
Simultaneously, we are developing air traffic processes. We are investing further in
infrastructure and advanced technology, like our new baggage management system. In
addition, we are renovating Taxiway Mike by night, a logistical masterpiece that does
not disrupt operations during the day. We have also signed a joint agreement with DFS
German Air Navigation Services for implementing the Ground Based Augmentation
System (GBAS). FRA is Europe’s first major airport to choose this future-oriented technology
for next-gen precision landings – guided by a GBAS ground station in tandem
with GPS satellite navigation. Along with the obvious operational advantages, GBAS
promises to help reduce aircraft noise.
These various projects will help ensure Frankfurt Airport’s success and leadership in the
future. We are also building the foundation for creating more jobs at Germany’s largest
employment complex, where 78,000 people already work. Furthermore, we are unrelenting
in our commitment to balance economics and the environment. In particular,
the impact of aircraft noise on the people of our region is something we take very seriously.
Noise abatement is high on our daily agenda. Indeed, at FRA we are all working
hard to make aviation friendlier for our passengers and quieter for our neighbors. I hope
that you enjoy reading about these and other topics in this edition of Aviation World.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stefan Schulte
03 Fraport World
Germany’s Largest Local Workplace Continues to Grow
Being a Reliable Provider of Quality Solutions for our Customers
Executive Airport
FRA Distinguished as Best Airport
Swift Aid with the Help of Aviation
13 Airline World
Airline Portrait: Asiana Airlines
American Airlines Expands Capacities
Air China: Bringing Chinese and European Markets Closer Together
18 People World
Fraport: New Head of Central Infrastructure
Airport Faces: Sentimental Farewell

FRA: “World’s Most Improved Airport” 2013
11
FRA
The renowned aviation market research
institute, Skytrax, has awarded Frankfurt
Airport (FRA) its “World’s Most Improved
Airport” award for 2013 in recognition
of FRA’s improved service quality.
“Receiving the ‘World’s Most Improved
Airport’ award confirms the successful
progress of our ‘Great to have you here!’
service program, which has been bearing
fruit for over two years,” says Dr. Stefan
Schulte, Fraport AG’s Executive Board
Chairman. “It also suggests that our
continuous improvements in service
quality at the airport are appreciated by
those who we serve first and foremost –
our passengers.” According to Schulte, the award poses an incentive for Fraport
to continue enhancing the customer
experience and appeal of the airport.
Peter Schmitz, Fraport Executive Board
Member, accepting the award
TÜV-Certified Service
Passenger survey confirms high quality of
service: In a recent customer satisfaction
survey conducted by the testing and
certification organization TÜV SÜD
among passengers at Frankfurt Airport,
the airport achieved an average rating
of 1.84 on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = fully
satisfied; 5 = not satisfied). Passengers
were especially satisfied when it came
to waiting times, giving the airport an
average score of 1.62, but were also very
satisfied with the friendliness of airport
staff (1.72) and cleanliness at the airport
(1.78). The findings are based on a
survey of over 20,000 passenger taken
last year.
“What the passengers think about the
standard of service is very important
to us; it helps us to understand what
passengers want, identify weak points
and improve service levels for passen -
7FRA is ranked 7 th in the category
“Best Airports Over 50 Million
Passengers per Year” in 2013 ...
Each year, Skytrax surveys over twelve
million passengers from over 160 countries
to gauge service standards at almost
400 airports worldwide. The survey’s
results evaluate the major international
hubs and present the prestigious World
Airport Awards to the best airports in the
different categories. The ‘World's Most
Improved Airport’ award is based on
several pieces of survey data and reflects
the relative change in an airport’s overall
ranking, the number of votes from passengers
and the final position in all appli-
gers,” comments Thomas Kirner, Fraport’s
manager for the quality of services at
Frankfurt Airport. Fraport has therefore
regularly commissioned surveys to
measure the satisfaction of passengers;
the external agency that conducts the
surveys annual ly interviews up to 30,000
passengers just before they board their
flights. Service quality mana gers at Fraport
see the award of the TÜV mark as acknow -
ledg ment of the Fraport “Great to have
you here!” service program's success.
The program was called to life in 2010 to
make depart ures, arrivals and transfers at
Germany's largest airport even more convenient.
has been constantly improving and
working its way up the ranking of the
“World’s Top Airports”. It was ranked
20 th in 2011, 15 th in 2012 and 11 th in
2013 and has now established itself
among the Top 20 airports worldwide.
5 ...
cable award categories. “Frankfurt Airport
should be proud of its success in winning
the award this year with this being recognition
of the improvements made to the
infrastructure and passenger experience –
most notably the new Pier Z for Lufthansa
flights,” said Edward Plaisted of Skytrax.
In addition to FRA, one of Fraport's other
airport was yet again successful at the
awards in 2013. Jorge Chavez Internat -
ional Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru, won the
“Best Airport in South America” award for
the fifth consecutive year and sixth time
overall, as well as the “Best Airport Staff
Service in South America” award for the
third time.
IN BRIEF
Already Over
1,000 Photos
Many people have a personal
reason why they say “Ja zu FRA!”
(Yes to FRA) and they can all be
found online in a photo campaign
organized by the initiative. Over
1,000 people from the Frankfurt/
Rhine-Main Region have already
taken part. The photo campaign is
one of the many projects that have
been launched by the initiative to
draw attention to the positive aspects
of air transport.
More information at:
www.ja-zu-fra.de
Fraport World
and 5 th in the category
“Best Airports in Europe”.
3

4
Fraport World – Keynote
Noise Abatement:
an Ongoing Task
More Measures in the Pipeline
Frankfurt Airport has been growing constantly for years; however, its economic success comes
at the expense of a stressed relationship with many residents due to the increasing number of
flights. Airport operator Fraport is therefore constantly working with its partners to make the
burden as small as possible.

Frankfurt Airport recorded 484,000 flights in 2012
alone. Every take-off and landing results in noise
for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Region; a burden
under which especially the residents in the direct
vicinity of the airport suffer. “We have to lower the
impact on those who are affected in order to maintain
and improve the level of acceptance for air
transport in the region,” says Max Philipp Conrady,
Head of Environmental Impacts Noise and Air at
Fraport. “Although innovations are constantly making
aircraft quieter, it remains clear that they will
never be entirely silent, and noise abatement
therefore remains an ongoing task.”
Avoiding Noise
Noise abatement has already been an important
issue at Fraport for many years and the airport has
already developed and implemented numerous
measures to reduce noise at the source (see box).
In addition, the Alliance for Noise Abatement,
which includes Fraport and German Air Navigation
Services (DFS), as well as companies from the air
transport industry, also developed a package with
additional noise abatement measures last year.
Many of them have the aim to concentrate noise
in places where it does not disturb as much, for
example, at higher altitudes or in uninhabited
areas. Certain routes have been altered so that
parts of Offenbach to the east or Mainz to the west
are flown over at higher altitudes, and it is planned
to implement further measures from the package
this year. “We cannot tighten all the screws at the
same time, some measures first have to be put to
the test in practice,” explains Conrady.
These include, for example, a special approach
procedure called “Continuous Descent Operations”
(CDO). It allows aircraft to descend almost without
Continuous Descent Operations
(CDO) will go live in October
2013. The procedure allows
aircraft to descend almost
without any horizontal flights
segments, thus ensuring quieter
descents from higher altitudes.
Runway
Instrument landing system
Continious descent
5,000 ft
horizontal flights segments, thus ensuring quieter
descents from higher altitudes. Testing has been
going on since May 2012 and now that it has been
successfully concluded, the procedure will go live
in October 2013. “The comparably high level of
required monitoring and the large safety distances
between the aircraft mean that the procedure cannot
be used during peak hours,” states Conrady. It is also
planned to introduce the “Continuous Climb Operations”
(CCO) procedure, which is based on a similar
principle, this year.
Quieter Equipment
7,000 ft
approx. 50 km
Fraport World – Keynote
Approach with
horizontal segments
Region with reduced aircraft noise
Airport operations on the ground also result in noise. Fraport is working
hard to reduce this noise, as well as air pollutant emissions, by using an
increasing number of electric vehicles. For example, only 13 of the altogether
91 conveyor belt trucks still use the louder diesel engines, with
the rest of the fleet already having been equipped with electric vehic les.
The ground handling services are also employing an increasing number
of electric drive cars and boarding stairs.
Fraport plans to increase its commitment in the future and is therefore
participating in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban
Development’s “Electric Mobility Alliance” with its “E-Fleet operated by
Fraport” project. Fraport plans to integrate an additional 42 vehicles
and 15 loading facilities into the airport’s infrastructure and operational
processes by the end of 2015 within the framework of the project. The
focus of the project also includes long-term testing and research with
regard to the practical applicability of electric vehicles in the different
service areas and airport handling.
5

6 Fraport World – Keynote
Quieter Aircraft
Aircraft noise results mainly from air turbulences that occur
as a result of the lift produced on the wings of the aircraft.
Manufacturers are therefore working on technologies to
reduce this noise source, for example, by guiding air more
efficiently along the fuselage.
Other innovations also contribute to reducing the noise, for
example, blended winglets, known as sharklets. Aircraft that
are equipped with these sharklets cause less air turbulences on
the wings, which has a positive effect on the reduction of noise
emissions. A number of airlines will be putting A320 aircraft
that are equipped with this technology into operation by the
end of the year. Another advantage is of course that the fuel
consumption is reduced.
Operations Before and After Night Ban Improved
The night flight ban between 11:00 p.m. and
5:00 a.m. to protect residents against aircraft
noise has been in place since November 2011.
“On certain days, factors such as the weather,
do not allow us to fully adhere to the ban,” says
Patrick Spijkers, Head of Duty and Performance
Management at Fraport. The airlines then have
to apply for a special permit from the aviation
authorities. “We are working with all that are
involved to keep the number of exceptions as
low as possible,” says Spijkers.
On average there have been 3.14 flights per
night since November 2011. Fraport, the airlines,
handlers, customs and federal police have implemented
a range of measures in order to reduce the
burdens just before the night flight ban comes into
effect at 11:00 p.m. These include increasing the
number of staff during the hour before and after
the ban to ensure swifter handling or, when
Introduction “Ground Based Augmentation System”
While CDO is controlled with the help of the conventional
system of landing instruments, Fraport
plans to introduce the precise and more flexible
approach aid, “Ground Based Augmentation
System” (GBAS), in cooperation with German Air
Navigation Services (DFS) by the end of the year.
The system relies on a satellite-based GPS naviga -
tion system and is able to transmit over 20 different
approach paths for multiple runways from a
ground station to the corresponding receivers in
the aircraft, such as the GBAS-compatible Boeing
747-800. “This is the technology of the future as
it combines precision approaches with a more
flexible management of approaches,” explains
Conrady. “It also makes it possible to fly around
inhabited areas and to reduce noise pollution in
those areas.” The necessary ground station will be
installed at Frankfurt Airport by the end of the
year. It is planned to gradually implement the procedure
in regular operation as of 2014 and have it
certified by the responsible government agencies.
“The sum of all the different active noise abatement
measures results in a gradual reduction in
the level of noise pollution per flight, which is
especially important when one considers that
we expect the volume of traffic to increase in the
future,” reveals Conrady. “That is why we also
intend to test and implement further measures
at Frankfurt Airport during the coming years.”
Further information on the topic is available at:
www.fraport.com/active-noise-abatement
necessary, positioning recently landed aircraft
on remote parking stands and putting them at
the back of the handling queue in order to free up
capacities for aircraft about to take off. In addition,
transfer passengers and baggage have sometimes
been left behind deliberately in order to ensure
that flights can take off on time. A status display
in the InfoPLUS system also makes it easier for all
of the involved parties, such as German Air Navigation
Services and the airlines, to see which aircraft
have already been granted special permits,
which in turn makes it easier to plan the take-off
sequence for the aircraft.
Further operational improvements during the hour
before and after the night flight ban are planned in
the future. “We are constantly analysing the problems
that arise and working on solutions for them,”
states Spijkers. The future measures also include
the improvement of taxiing operations.

Germany’s Largest Local Workplace Continues to Grow
There are more people working at Frankfurt
Airport than ever before. The latest
survey conducted by Fraport counts about
500 companies and government agencies
active at the hub with a total of 78,000
employees – 3,000 more than last year.
“The figures once again affirm the tremendous
importance of Frankfurt Airport
as an economic factor and job-creation
engine for the entire region,” commented
Michael Müller, Executive Director Labor
Relations at Fraport, on the findings of
the survey. “The number of employees
at the airport has been growing steadily
for decades and clearly correlates with
the steady growth in traffic over the long
term. There can be no doubt there, despite
the cyclical fluctuations.” The huge
increase in the number of jobs during the
past year has proven the expansion of
the aviation hub a worthwhile investment
in the region’s employment market and
economic power.
Fraport itself has also played a major role
in the airport’s growth during the past
decades: “A new runway and terminal
Saying “I Do” at the Airport
Getting married in a castle, on a boat or
at the beach are popular options for
couples who do not wish to get married
in churches or registry offices. In February,
Frankfurt Airport added a new exciting
location to the list of available options,
making it possible for couples to now say
“I do” at an airport terminal.
During the past 30 years, the number of employees has more than doubled.
expansion for an additional six million
passengers are of course things that
require new staff,” explains Müller. The
airport operator added another 830 staff
to its workforce in 2012, taking the total
number of men and women employed in
Frankfurt by Fraport to almost 21,000,
Fraport World
Development in employment figures at Frankfurt Airport between 1980 and 2012
1980
1990
2000
2010
2011*
2012*
78,000
* No. of employees including The Squire and Gateway Gardens Source: Fraport
The airport offers wedding couples a
comprehensive package that includes a
civil ceremony, or upon request, a religious
ceremony by a representative of one
of the confessions represented at the airport;
photos at a special location in the
airport; a reception with a wedding cake,
including tabletop decorations, for 15
people; and a night at an airport hotel for
the wedding couple. The package, which
costs 1,500 euros also includes a professional
wedding planner, who helps with
the planning and organization. It is also
possible to make individual arrangements
and book additional services.
“FRA Weddings – Getting Married at the
Airport” is yet another offer provided by
the “Great to have you here!” service program.
Further information on FRA Weddings
is available at www.fra-weddings.com.
Just married! Couples can now also celebrate
the happiest day of their lives at Frankfurt
Airport.
and Fraport plans to add more in the
future. “The continued growth in air
transport and ever-increasing significance
of the international division of labor mean
that the number of jobs in and around
the airport will continue to rise – of that I
have absolutely no doubt,” predicts Müller.
Boarding Cards
for Teddies
Traveling with children can really put one’s
patience to the test. Fraport has therefore
come up with an idea to also make traveling
more convenient for the little passengers.
In addition to the children’s play areas
to pass the time, there is now a remedy to
overcome any anxiety before the flight:
boarding cards for teddies – making sure
that teddies or other cuddly toys board
the aircraft in an orderly manner and little
passengers are kept busy before boarding
the flight. Airlines handled by Fraport can
order the boarding cards free of charge.
Contact: R.Mueller@Fraport.de
7
31,811
53,257
62,500
71,000
75,000

8 Fraport World
Being a Reliable Provider of Quality Solutions
for our Customers
Anke Giesen has been Executive Board Member for
Ground Handling at Fraport AG since the beginning
of the year and spoke to Aviation World on how
Fraport AG intends to make ground handling even
more competitive in the future.
Ms. Giesen, the European Parliament has now,
after the first reading, decided to adopt the new
controversial regulation for the liberalization of
ground handling services at major airports after
all; how will this affect Fraport?
We respect the Parliament’s decision, even if we do
not truly approve of all of the decisions that have
been made. We must now wait and see what the
Council of the European Union decides in coordination
with the Parliament. After all, we remain
Profile
Anke Giesen is Fraport’s
Executive Board Member
and Executive Director
Ground Handling. She has
board responsibility for the
strategic business units,
“Retail & Properties” and
“Ground Services”, as well as
for the central unit, “HR Top
Executives”. She has previously
occupied various
positions at Mannesmann
Dematic AG and Pfleiderer
AG, and most recently held
the position of Executive
Board Member and Group
Director for Labor Relations
at Douglas Holding AG.
convinced that a larger number of competitors is
not necessarily synonymous with greater quality
and efficiency. It lacks a certain degree of logic that
self-handlers are granted the right to sub-contract
whereas airports are prevented from doing so.
Ground handling services constitute a key success
factor for a functioning airport, and even more so
in the case of one of the largest transfer hubs world -
wide. It is our flexibility in particular that also sets
us apart from the rest in irreg situations. We stand
for safety, quality and efficiency on the ground, and
we feel that the involvement of other providers in
these complex processes will only result in the
quality and performance of the airport suffering.
And what does that mean for Fraport Ground
Handling Services?
We will have to adapt to the new situation in terms
of competition and find solutions for the economic
challenges. Our willingness to constantly work on
our quality, performance and competitiveness will
dictate our level of success in the ground handling
services market.
How do you plan to improve our performance
and competitiveness?
It will be decisive that Fraport Ground Handling
Services offers outstanding services that meet the
customers’ demands in all situations. This will
re quire the appropriate qualification of our staff
and call upon us to work productively and profitably
in order to remain competitive in terms of
price-performance ratios. However, improving cost
structures should not result in any loss of quality
or drop in performance at Frankfurt Airport. Constantly
adapting operational processes to changing
conditions has long since become a part of our
everyday business. Our staff shall form our core
competence; and a stable, modern IT landscape
for hub operations, as well as modern equipment,
shall be indispensable. These are all issues that we
are currently working on.
To what extent will pricing play a role in light of
the increasing pressure of competition?
In general there can only be one response to that:
quality comes at a price, and that is my firm belief;
it is the price-performance ratio that will be decisive,
that is where we must be, and stay, the best.

When the last aircraft take off into
the night the construction crews on
Taxiway Mike are already at work.
Overnight Repairs
Time is in short supply when repairing Taxiway Mike
The arrival of night at Frankfurt Airport
also signals the start of a very tightly
planned choreography of diggers, bulldozers,
trucks and other construction
vehicles. Fraport’s repairs to the roughly
210,000 m2 of Taxiway Mike are scheduled
to last until October 2013. The work
only takes place at night and the construction
site has to be fit for traffic again
by the morning.
Prevent Disruptions
“We can only work between 9:00 p.m.
and 5:00 a.m., otherwise the taxiway
would have to be shut down and that
would lead to considerable disruptions,”
states Tobias Leins, who is responsible for
runway maintenance at Fraport. Taxiway
Mike is the most important connection
in the parallel runway system between
Runway South and Terminals 1 and 2. It
was built about 20 years ago using concrete
and countless tonnes of aircraft and
the weather have left their mark over the
past two decades. The results are broken
concrete slabs and surface cracks.
Fraport has therefore been replacing the
old concrete on a three and a half-kilometer
section with a new special asphaltplastic
cement since March 2012. The
cement dries quicker and therefore allows
the taxiway to be used again sooner.
“Closely coordinated
logistics is the key
when you have such
a tight schedule.”
Fraport is also taking the opportunity to
renew the edges of the taxiway and the
lighting. In order to ensure that the work
only takes place at night, Fraport uses a
method that was developed by its construction
department for the repair of the
Center Taxiway back in 2002. “Closely
coordinated logistics is the key when you
have such a tight schedule,” says Leins.
“We have managed to get all the processes
into a 15-minute tact and every-
Fraport World
one knows exactly what has to be done
and when.”
For example, on nights when a section of
the taxiway has to be broken up and redone,
four chisel excavators first break
up the taxiway and 25 trucks then remove
the rubble – about 4,000 tonnes
per night. The section is then filled with
gravel and three layers of asphalt. This
then cools until the morning so that the
taxiway can be used again. “In order for it
to all work out, the team has to be fully
concentrated every night,” stresses Leins.
The project is even prepared for technical
problems: “We have calculated a buffer
and also have reserve vehicles on standby
for all of our equipment to make sure that
we finish on time,” explains Leins. The next
night it is then the turn of the next section.
Please scan the QR code
for a fast motion film of the
construction work.
9

10 Fraport World
Executive Airport
General Aviation Terminal Benefits from New Runway
– Offer to be Expanded
Personal service: a member of the staff welcoming an exclusive passenger
to the General Aviation Terminal.
Concourse, security checks, apron access and even
an own tower: The General Aviation Terminal on
the south side of Frankfurt Airport has everything
that its larger siblings on the north side have, just
a couple of sizes smaller.
Aside from the dimensions, the terminal also differs
in one other aspect: Exclusiveness. Only very few
passengers will ever set foot in the terminal that
lies a little hidden in CargoCity South, because
that is where the executives, stars and business
people, who land at Frankfurt Airport in their private
jets, are served. They come to Frankfurt for
business meetings, trade fairs or other events in the
Rhine-Main Region; or to connect on scheduled
flights. The General Aviation Terminal currently
serves about 23 take-offs and landings daily.
Services at the General Aviation Terminal
For passengers:
– Smooth and swift immigration and customs clearance
– Limousine service and rental car reservations
– Hotel reservations with “Best Rate Guarantees”
– Passenger lounge
– Conference and meeting rooms for up to 15 people
– Communication services
– Exclusive VIP catering
Fraport aims to see this figure increase by at least
20 percent.
“The new runway means that the airport now has
an altogether larger capacity, which means the
number of slots available for private jets, which
was previously very limited, has also increased,”
explains Erdal Köroglu, Senior Project Manager
Fraport Ground Services. “We would like to seize
this opportunity to attract more private jets to
Frankfurt.” However, higher availability alone will
not be enough according to Köroglu: “We want
to make the General Aviation Terminal even more
attractive to the target group.” A team from Fraport
Ground Services will therefore be working on a
concept with the other service providers until the
end of the year.
It includes making the exclusive terminal more
known with enhanced marketing measures, for
example, with a new Internet presence that was
launched in May or the Facebook and Twitter offers
that will soon follow. In addition, a cooperation
agreement has been concluded with a private jet
travel agent and the project team is also working
on ideas how the existing service offer can be
further improved (see box). “Those who arrive
with private jets usually have higher demands
when it comes to service and amenities,” explains
Köroglu. The terminal will, for example, this year
therefore be renewing the fleet of vehicles with
which it chauffeurs passengers over the apron. It
also plans to provide its staff with even better training
on how to serve its exclusive customers. “We
would like to offer all of our passengers excellent
services to ensure that they return to Frankfurt with
pleasure,” states Köroglu.
For aircraft and flight crews:
– Arrangement of slots and traffic
– Pilot lounge
– Weather and flight planning assistance
– Hotel reservations at special crew rates
– Crew transport to the hotels
– Ramp parking and aircraft surveillance
– Ground power and air conditioning (GPU)
– Lavatory and portable water services, aircraft cleaning,
refueling and de-icing

FRA Distinguished as Best Airport
Malaysia Airlines honored Fraport Ground
Handling Services as “Best Ground
Handler 2012” in the airline’s route network.
“Awards such as this one show us
that we are on the right path and can be
proud of our performance,” commented
Sven Schabos, Head of Passenger Services,
who received the award in Kuala
Lumpur on behalf of Ground Handling
Services.
At the Malaysia Airlines Awards ceremony
in Kuala Lumpur: Joachim Hartmann (Senior
Customer Services Officer Frankfurt, Malaysia
Airlines), Sven Schabos (Head of Passenger
Services, Fraport), David Raj Subramaniam
(Area Manager Germany and Switzerland,
Malaysia Airlines) and Marvin Lee Ong Wen
(Station Manager Frankfurt, Malaysia Airlines).
Fraport Cargo Services Banking
on Modern Security Technology
Fraport Cargo Services (FCS) has introduced
a new x-ray scanning system in order to
comply with the European Union’s new air
freight security regulations that came into
effect in April 2013. “The investment will
allow us to double our checking capacity
and thus spare our customers long waiting
times,” commented Dieter Quante, FCS
Head of Logistics, Projects and Quality
Management.
The new system can scan entire airfreight
containers.
Frankfurt Airport also received the 2013
Air Cargo Excellence (ACE) award as
“Best Cargo Airport in Europe” in the
category for hubs handling one million
metric tons or more per year. Established
in 2005, the ACE Survey is conducted
annually by Air Cargo World, a
leading international trade magazine.
The annual award honors excellence
and outstanding processes in the following
categories: customer relations and
service, price-performance ratios, infrastructure
and organizational efficiency.
FRA has won the ACE Award a total of
five times.
Success Story as a Cargo Hub
“The ACE award is a great honor – not
only for the Fraport Group, but also for
the entire cargo community at Frankfurt
Airport. It shows that our close and fruitful
cooperation with the many airlines and
logistics companies based at Frankfurt
Airport City is creating positive synergies.
FRA’s success story, as a global cargo hub,
benefits all of the businesses here and
also contributes to employment in the region,”
commented Anke Giesen, Fraport
AG Executive Board Member for Ground
Handling.
The new Smiths Detection cargo scanner
was specially developed for scanning bulky
freight and meets the highest security
standards. Among other things, it makes
it possible to differentiate between materials
more effectively and also accelerates
the scanning process by providing
simultaneous horizontal and vertical images
(dual view).
In addition, FCS has also installed a new
volume measuring device that provides
precise freight data for airway bill, delivery
note and shipment tracking in
combination with a weighing forklift
truck. This also makes it possible to
identify freight that has, for example,
been wrongly declared. “Our aim is to
provide our customers with swift, modern
and innovative freight handling,”
states Quante.
Fraport World
New Baggage
Handling System
11
The swift loading and unloading of aircraft
is one of the aims that Fraport Ground
Handling Services hope to achieve with
the introduction of their new baggage
handling system Astro (Airport System for
Transport and Operations). It is planned
for the new system to successively replace
the existing disposition system TESS
(transport operations controlling system),
starting with baggage transport.
“After over 20 years of service, TESS today
no longer fulfills our functional and technical
requirements,” explains Björn Meyer,
Senior Project Manager at Ground Handling
Services (BVD). The new system
allows for more automation, which results
in, for example, reduced baggage transport
times and the avoidance of deadheads.
In addition, Fraport also plans to
use Astro to improve the cooperation
between loading and baggage services.
In future, Astro will also be deployed for
other ground handling services, such as
passenger bridges, aircraft towing, and
freight and passenger transportation.
“The systematic refinement and contin -
uous improvement of our handling and
logistics processes is the cornerstone of
both our own and our airline customers’
success,” states Meyer.

12 Fraport World
Swift Aid with the Help of Aviation
Wings of Help has been organizing transport flights with
humanitarian aid to crisis regions for a good decade
Children in Myanmar waiting for food flown in by Wings of Help after Cyclone Nargis.
Achmed was the name of the young Afghan
boy that Wings of Help flew to Germany
in 2004. He had been born without
a bladder and underwent surgery at a hospital
in Würzburg. “We grew so attached
to the little boy that we called the hospital
everyday after dropping him off to
find out how he was doing,” recalls the
organization’s founder and President,
Frank Franke. Achmed was doing fine, but
only spoke in whispers. It took a couple of
days for the doctors and nurses to figure
out why: The night that Achmed arrived at
the children’s ward, everyone had been
whispering to not wake up the other
children. “Achmed therefore thought that
people in Germany always whispered,”
recalls Franke.
The former radio journalist still remembers
the young Afghan boy, who was able to
return home healthy a few weeks later,
well. The aid organization has since flown
many tonnes of humanitarian aid to crisis
regions around the world. Regardless of
whether civil wars, tsunamis or earthquakes:
Wings of Help is always there to
transport medicine, clothing, blankets
and other vital equipment to those that
are most in need. “During the past five
years we have sent 20 large aircraft to all
four corners of the globe,” states Franke.
In 2005, the organization sent three
jumbo jets to Pakistan after the country
had been shaken by a serious earthquake;
in 2010, it sent humanitarian aid to the
people of Haiti following the major earthquake
there; this year, flights to the border
region between Syria and Turkey are at
the top of the agenda. Over 300,000
people have fled from the civil war in
Syria and estimates suggest that the figure
will rise to over a million people by
the end of the year. The organization is
Wings of Help (Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen e.V.) is an international organization that is represented,
among others, in France, Spain, Finland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In Germany,
it has four employees, four volunteers and many other helpers who help to organize flights with
humanitarian aid for crisis regions. Fraport AG has been part of the organization since the
beginning and also provides the offices for Wings of Help in CargoCity South.
www.luftfahrtohnegrenzen.de
supported by Fraport Cargo Services,
which provides it with freight handling
services free of charge.
Depends on the Support of Airlines
None of it would be possible without the
help of sponsors: The aid organization
receives material donations, such as baby
food and medicine, as well as financial donations
from both companies and private
individuals. In order to transport humanitarian
aid to crisis regions, Wings of Help
depends on the support of airlines and
handling partners at Frankfurt Airport.
The organization contacts sponsors in
industry to assemble humanitarian aid as
soon as it receives a cry for help. It then
contacts airlines to enquire if they can
provide aircraft to fly to the respective
countries. “That way the airlines assume
corporate responsibility. This sort of social
commitment is quite important for a company’s
image,” claims a convinced Franke.
In June of this year, Wings of Help will be
celebrating its 10th anniversary. “We have
shown that we can offer many people swift
aid with the help of aviation,” maintains
Franke. The motto of the organization is
after all: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Frank Franke with children in Myanmar.

SunExpress: New Connection to Enfidha
Networking in
Vancouver
The 26 th IATA Ground Handling Conference
took place in Vancouver, Canada,
in early May.
Fraport Ground Services was represented
at the conference with a new exhibition
stand and the colleagues on site made
use of the important industry get-together
to establish new business contacts
and maintain existing customer relationships.
As with every year, the “Fraport Ground
Services Top Customer Event”, which was
this year staged under the motto “Sea
o Sky”, was a must-attend event for all
existing Fraport Ground Services customers.
Martin Bien made use of the opportunity
to introduce himself personally as
the new Senior Executive Vice President
of Fraport Ground Services to the many
attending customers and partners.
After signing the agreement with Korean Air
(from left to right): Fred-Steffen Olraun (BVD-
RV), Martin Bien (BVD), C.S. Oh, Yunjung Lee
(both Korean Air) and Hiltrud Winkel (BVD-RV).
FCS New Handling Partner for
Singapore Airlines Cargo
Fraport Cargo Services (FCS) has secured
Singapore Airlines Cargo as a new customer
as of April 1. According to FCS, the airline
is an important customer with major
potential, as it operates cargo flights
worldwide to Africa, Asia, Europe, North
Airline World
Contract Extended: Customers Continue
to Trust in Fraport Cargo Services
The first half of 2013 has been very successful
for Fraport Cargo Services (FCS),
with several customers extending their
contracts.
They include the key account Emirates
SkyCargo, whose freight FCS has been
handling for over 25 years. The contract
extension will see the partners enter yet
another prolonged period of cooperation.
“We are very proud to be handling
partner for this premium airline and
to offer it our specially tailored services.
Emirates has confirmed its confidence in
our company and our performance. We
look forward to continuing our long and
successful partnership,” commented FCS
Managing Directors, Diana Schöneich
and Andreas Helfer, in unison. Facilities
in the airline’s corporate design and the
centrally located, exclusive Emirates
SkyCargo cargo acceptance at FCS are
signs of the close cooperation.
Air China, another key account, has also
extended its contract with FCS. “We are
very pleased with this development and
that Air China has again opted for the
Emirates SkyCargo has had its own cargo
acceptance in the airline's corporate design
since March 2009.
13
In May, SunExpress launched a new weekly
route between Frankfurt and Enfidha,
Tunisia. The route will connect the Main
Metropolis with the Gulf of Hammamet and
be served on Fridays for the duration of the
summer schedule (until October 25, 2013).
The non-stop charter flights will be used by
tour operators, such as REWE, Alltours, FTI,
TUI and many others, to fly holidaymakers
to resorts near Hammamet and Sousse.
Ticket bookings for individual seats may be
made via www.sunexpress.com or the
travel agency.
quality offered by our handling services,”
commented the FCS Management. In
addition, Adria Airways and Japan Airlines
have also expressed their confidence in
FCS and penned long-term contract extensions.
“We are very proud of the faith
that has been placed in us and would like
to thank our partners,” commented the
Management at FCS.
America and Oceania. Singapore Airlines
Cargo currently flies cargo to 71 cities in
37 countries. The airline operates two
daily flights between Singapore and Frankfurt,
and a daily flight between Frankfurt
and New York using the B777 and A380.

14
Airline World
Airline Portrait: Asiana Airlines
Continues to Grow
The South Korean airline has been on a course of expansion for a quarter
of a century and Frankfurt is the focus of its attention in Europe.
Six new A380 as of 2014 and 30 new A350 as of 2016 will see Asiana
Airlines hugely expand its fleet during the coming years. The airline
intends to fly to new destinations in Asia with its new aircraft; however,
it also plans to continue investing in its route to Frankfurt.
It was the time of the 1988 Olympic Summer Games in Seoul,
after the boycotted games in Moscow and Los Angeles; the
Games were finally able to welcome athletes from both sides
of the Iron Curtain again. It would be a major international
sporting event that signaled the opening of South Korea to
the rest of the world and heralded the dawn of an economic
boom in the country – and the growing demand for flights was
also to play a decisive role in the founding of Asiana Airlines by
the Kumho Asiana Group. On December 23, 1988, the airline
began operating with six leased Boeing 737-400. By 1990 it had
flown its first international flight to Tokyo and purchased its own
aircraft – the early milestones of a remarkable course of growth.
Large Korean Community in Frankfurt
“Since then, quality of service and safety considerations have been
our top priorities, and the main assets in boosting our competitiveness,”
states Oh Keun-Nyoung, Senior Vice President Europe at
Asiana Airlines. They have done so with success; in the meantime
the Asiana Airlines fleet counts 79 aircraft and its passenger and
cargo route network has grown to 111 routes worldwide. Frankfurt
became Asiana Airlines’ first European route in 2001 and the airline
has since added other major European cities to its network. “Frankfurt
is currently the focus of our attention in the Asiana Airlines
European network,” declares Oh. “We expect the importance of
Frankfurt Airport as a European transportation hub to grow, as
Germany’s economy grows as the center of gravity in Europe.”
Germany has long since become an important trading partner
for South Korea and its multinationals, such as Samsung, Hyundai
and Kia. There is therefore an extensive exchange between
the Asian country and the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Region, with
about 200 Korean companies based in and around Frankfurt and
approximately 6,000 South Koreans living in the region. It is
thus hardly surprising that 70 percent of the passengers on the
daily Frankfurt-Seoul route are business travelers.

Gateway to Asia
Asiana also joined the Star Alliance in 2003 in order to offer its
business travelers and other passengers a larger network and
additional advantages, such as worldwide lounges and frequent
flyer programs. “With competition in the aviation industry growing
fiercer and the threat from of low-cost carriers increasing all
over the world, an airline can no longer cover all destinations by
itself. Cooperation and partnerships with Star Alliance members
have therefore become increasingly important,” explains Oh.
Asiana intends to make a name for itself as the Gateway to Asia
within the alliance. “Asiana has a strong network in Asia, with 21
Japanese routes, 31 Chinese routes and 25 other Asian routes,”
states Oh. And Asiana’s offer of new routes from Seoul is growing:
As of July it will be offering direct connections to Bali and
Jakarta to attract a larger number of holidaymakers. In addition,
the airline also plans to further establish the South Korean
capital as a stopover destination. The booming airline is also
investing heavily in its fleet in order to expand its route network:
Asiana will be adding six new A380 to its fleet as of 2014 and a
further 30 new A350 to serve short and medium-haul routes in
Asia starting from 2016.
According to Oh, Frankfurt is also set to benefit from the fleet
expansion: “Frankfurt as a destination will feature prominently in
our considerations when the new aircraft are delivered and the
anticipated growth of the route means that it will also feature
more strongly in Asiana Airlines’ focus for future investments
than other destinations,” reveals Oh. Asiana currently flies to
Frankfurt with both passenger and cargo aircraft, with Fraport
responsible for check-in, ramp handling, and baggage loading
and unloading, and Fraport Cargo Services also in charge of
freight handling services since the beginning of the year. “We
are very satisfied with Fraport’s quality of service and our cooperation,
and are pleased to work with a customer-oriented partner
that supports our daily flights with flexible and reliable services.
As an airline we look forward to a continued, beneficial partnership
with Fraport,” says Oh.
Oh, Keun-Nyoung,
Senior Vice President
Europe at Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines at a Glance
Gangnam Style!
K-Pop – Korean pop music. A year or so ago the genre would
have meant little or nothing to the vast majority of Europeans,
but that all changed when people in nightclubs all over the
world started dancing to South Korean rapper PSY’s song
“Gangnam Style”. The international superstar has been Asiana’s
ambassador since April and is the prominent face of the
airline’s advertising campaign.
Airline World 15
– Founded in 1988
– Corporate headquarters in Seoul, South Korea
– Its European head office for freight and passenger
services is situated in Frankfurt
– 9,800 employees
– 12 domestic routes, 71 international passenger routes
and 29 international cargo routes
– 79 aircraft (as of: May 2013)
– 15.5 million passengers (2012)
– ‘Airline of the Year’ Awards:
2012 Business Travelers; 2012 Premier Traveler;
2011 Global Traveler; 2011 Skytrax; 2009 ATW
– Skytrax Awards: Asiana Airlines has already received the
prestigious Skytrax 5-Star Airline rating for the standard
of its product and service delivery quality six times in a
row. In addition, Asiana also came second in the “Airline
of the Year” category and won the “Best Airline in Asia”
category in 2012.

16 Airline World
IN BRIEF
Iraqi Airways
Back in FRA
Iraqi Airways started operating
flights to Frankfurt again on May 6,
2013, following a 23-year break.
The airline will initially be offering
two weekly flights, connecting
Baghdad and Erbil to Frankfurt, and
is planning to add a third, between
Frankfurt and Baghdad, in June.
Fraport will be responsible for Iraqi
Airways’ ground and ramp handling,
and flight operations, and
Fraport Cargo Services will take
care of the airline's cargo handling.
Shared Check-in
Counters
LAN and TAM now have shared
check-in counters at Frankfurt
Airport. The new check-in counters
for baggage drop-off are 759–768
in Terminal 1, Departures, Hall C.
The ticket counters can be found at
759.2–759.3 and are open daily
from 5:00 p.m to 11:00 p.m.
Decision in Favor
of oneworld
The LATAM Airlines Group has
opted for oneworld as the global
alliance for its airlines. The decision
means that TAM Airlines will leave the
Star Alliance in the second quarter of
2014 and join oneworld, which LAN
Airlines and 11 other airlines are
already part of. oneworld operates a
total of 13,000 daily flights, annually
flying 480 million passengers.
American Airlines
Expands Capacities
Thomas Horton, Chairman, President and CEO of American Airlines, and
Doug Parker, Chairman and CEO of US Airways, at the merger announcement.
More seats and added comfort for passengers:
American Airlines expands capacities
between Dallas and Frankfurt. The airline
already operates the route daily; however,
as of June, it will be replacing the existing
Boeing 763 (212 seats) with a larger
Boeing 772 (246 seats). The new aircraft
will allow the airline to offer First Class
seats on the route and also see the number
of Business Class seats increase. In the future,
Economy Class passengers will also
be able to pass time by watching movies
on individual in-seat video screens. In addition,
the aircraft switch will result in a
reduction of the flight time between
Frankfurt and Dallas from 11 hours 10
minutes to 10 ½ hours.
Merger Creates Largest Airline Worldwide
American Airlines is however not only
growing in Frankfurt. In February, the
airline announced plans to merge with
US Airways; a merger that will create the
largest airline in the world. Operating
under the name American Airlines, the
airline will offer over 6,700 daily flights
to 336 destinations in 56 countries – with
a current annual passenger volume of
around 140 million passengers. The
merger is subject to approval from US
authorities and is expected to be completed
during the third quarter of 2013.
Both airlines will remain independent
until the merger has been completed.
According to the airlines, the move will
offer benefits for the customers, communities,
employees, investors, and creditors
of both airlines. “We are proud to launch
the new American Airlines – a premier
global carrier well-equipped to compete
and win against the best in the world,”
said Tom Horton, Chairman, President,
and Chief Executive Officer of American
Airlines, speaking at the announcement
of the merger plans. Doug Parker, current
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
US Airways, and the future Chief Executive
Officer of the merged airlines added, “Our
combined network will provide a significantly
more attractive offering to customers,
ensuring that we are always able to
take them where they want to travel, when
they want to go.” Within the framework of
the merger American Airlines will continue
operating its daily flight from Dallas Fort
Worth (DFW) to FRA and US Airways continue
serving two destinations, Philadel -
phia (PHL) and Charlotte (CLT), from FRA.
It is yet to be announced whether the new
American Airlines will add further connections
to Frankfurt.
www.newamericanarriving.com

Bringing Chinese and European
Markets Closer Together
Air China opened its third route to Frankfurt in May;
the route to Chengdu connects yet another booming
Chinese business region to Europe. Aviation World
spoke to Li Jingjie, Vice General Manager Europe at
Air China to find out more.
Mr Li, China is a growing market for almost
everything and aviation is very closely linked
to these growth rates; are you confident that
aviation growth in China will remain strong?
The high growth rates in China naturally have a
strong influence on China’s trade volume with
other countries. This has of course led to a rapidly
increasing development in both the passenger
and commercial cargo transport markets in recent
years. Based on China’s economic development,
we believe that the trend in the aviation industry
shall persist.
What does that mean for Air China?
The strong growth rates have sped up the internationalization
process at Air China; we are now
the airline with the greatest number of internat -
ional routes in China. For example, we currently
offer 12 routes between Europe and China and
thus connect the Chinese and European trade
markets and aviation industries more conveniently.
That was also the reason why we launched the
new connection to Chengdu in May. During the
past years, the city has increasingly developed into
the commercial center of western China. In addition,
Chengdu is also a major hub for tourists in
the region.
The connection to Chengdu represents your
third route to Frankfurt; what role does
Frankfurt Airport play in Air China’s network?
Frankfurt is one of the most important cities in
Air China’s European route network, and the city
and German market as a whole will remain the
main focus of Air China’s future development
plans. Frankfurt Airport has for a long time been
a hub of the European aviation network, thanks
to its unique location and function; Air China has
made use of this advantage to easily transport its
passengers to any destination in Europe.
How important is the Star Alliance to Air China’s
progress?
Air China joined the Star Alliance in December 2007
and serves as a bridge between China and the rest
of the world. Since then, we have expanded our
Airline World
Air China will start operating a nonstop route between Frankfurt and the
10-million-people city of Chengdu in western China as of May 19, 2013.
Passengers will be able to enjoy an optimum level of service and comfort
on board the Airbus A330–200 during the approximately 10-hour flight.
worldwide network further, particularly in Europe.
We have shared the extensive network provided
by Star Alliance partners and the partnership has
also allowed Air China to share in other resources,
products and services, such as Business Lounges
at airports, Pass Tickets, round-the-world tickets,
etc. which have all benefited our passengers and
resulted in higher customer satisfaction.
What are your plans for Germany?
Needless to say, we strive to make the new route
to Chengdu successful. Aside from that, we also
intend to learn from Germany as a global leader in
environmental issues, with the reduction of CO 2
an important issue to us, especially as we expect
aviation to continue growing strongly in China.
We have been pressing ahead with our plans to
reduce emissions with constant fleet renewal,
route optimization, operational time reduction and
better air waste disposal. We are also a member of
the Sustainable Aviation Fuel User Group (SAFUG)
and have already successfully completed China’s
first flight powered by aviation biofuel. Germany
is a global leader in these fields and we intend to
learn from it and continue our commitment to
innovations.
Air China at a Glance
Air China has its headquarters in Beijing, and together with its majority
interests, operates a fleet of 432 passenger and cargo aircraft with an
average age of 6.77 years (as of: March 2013). The airline currently
serves 280 routes in over 30 countries and regions.
17
Profile
Li Jingjie, 33, has been
Vice General Manager
Europe at Air China since
April 2012. He has been
at the airline since 2002
and worked in the Revenue
Management department
at Air China’s head
office in Beijing prior to
moving to Frankfurt.

18 People World
About This Publication
Publisher:
Fraport AG
Frankfurt Airport Service Worldwide
60547 Frankfurt, Germany
www.twitter.com/Airport_FRA
www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport
Responsible for content:
Sebastian Keil, Corporate Communications
Anette Schmid, Fraport Ground Services
Ulrike Dietz, Airside and Terminal Management,
Corporate Safety and Security, Sales and
Customer Relations
Content, information, and ideas for articles:
Ulrike Dietz, Susanne Kalbe, Sebastian Keil,
Nicole Ruschig-Brunck, Rachel Müller, Anette
Schmid, Boris Weber, Carmen Worch
Fraport: New Head of Central Infrastructure
Peter Dudenhöfer, 47, has been the new Head of
Central Infrastructure at Fraport Ground Services
(BVD-I) since the beginning of the year. He returns
from Traffic and Terminal Management (FTU), where
he worked as Head of the Airport Operations department
from 2008.
Dudenhöfer is now responsible for the ground
handling infrastructure and services at Frankfurt
Airport. This includes the baggage handling
system, as well as other central infrastructure
services. Dudenhöfer will be able to rely both
on his experience gained at FTU and on the 20
Eva Airways: New General
Manager Germany
Wen-Wei Lo, 43, was appointed
General Manager Germany for Eva
Airways in March 2013. Mr. Lo has
been employed at Eva Airways
since 1995 and has held various
positions at the company during
that time, among others in its
Corporate Planning and International
Business departments.
In addition to working at the airline’s Taiwan headquarters,
he was also assigned to its Manila/Phili -
ppines branch office as Cargo Manager from April
2008 to July 2011. In his new position in Frankfurt,
Mr. Lo is responsible for passenger sales and cargo
services. His goal is to strengthen the cargo business
between Asia and Germany, and to establish a
strong partnership with the Star Alliance, which the
airline recently joined.
Written by:
Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Hannah Cosse (chief copywriter), Gesche Brock
Layout:
Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt: Anke Rabbeau
Printed by:
ABT Print und Medien GmbH, Weinheim
Production and project management:
Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Ricarda Conrad, Dr. Claudia Klemm
Photo credits:
Fraport– p. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 (bottom), 7, 8, 9, 10,
13 (top and left), 18 (top), 19; Skytrax – p. 3;
TÜV SÜD – p. 3; TAM – p. 6 (top);
years that he spent working in various different
functions at Ground Handling Services (BVD)
prior to that – a period during which he also
functioned as Head of Baggage Services and
Head of Logistics Planning and IT.
In his new role, Dudenhöfer aims to work with
his team to maintain the accustomed high quality
of services, develop capacity in line with traffic
figures and improve efficiency. In addition, he shall
also be focusing on the automation of processes
for customers and employees.
Singapore Airlines:
New Station Manager
Roger Lau, 41, has been the new Station
Manager for Singapore Airlines (SIA) at
Frankfurt Airport since last November.
Lau has been at the airline for about 18
years, during which time he has worked
as Station Manager in Malé (Maldives),
Newark (USA), Cairo (Egypt), Fukuoka
(Japan), Johannesburg (South Africa)
and most recently Seoul (South Korea) since 2008.
In between, he also worked at the Head Office in
Singapore, where he supervised ground services
procedures. In his current position, Lau aims to
further improve the SIA customer experience at
the airport, and achieve heightened operational
efficiency at the airline's Frankfurt Airport office.
tankist276/shutterstock.com– p. 7 (bottom
left); Malaysia Airlines – p. 11 (top left); istockphoto/monticelllo
– p. 11 (right); smiths detection
– p. 11 (bottom left); Wings of Help –
p. 12; Fraport Cargo Services – p. 13 (center);
Asiana Airlines – p. 2 (bottom), 14, 15; Iraqi Airways
– p. 16 (top left); LATAM Airlines Group –
p. 16 (left bottom); American Airlines – p. 16
right; Air China – p. 17; Eva Airways – p. 18
(bottom left); Singapore Airlines – p. 18
(bottom right); South African Airways– p. 19
(top right)
Platzhalter CO2
Platzhalter
PEFC

Sentimental Farewell
Airport faces: Long-standing South African
Airways Station Manager and AOC Chairman
Thomas Pembroke has retired. A look back.
Thomas Pembroke has retired.
“I have spent nearly my entire working
life at airports, thereof over 35 years at
Frankfurt,” recalls Pembroke. Already as
a boy, the 65-year-old accompanied his
father, also a Station Manager, for Air
France at DUS and later on SCL, to the
airports, enjoying being amongst the
many different nationalities and developing
a deep interest in aviation. After some
initial work experience with an American
aircraft manufacturer, Pembroke took his
first steps in the airline business by working
for Iberia at Düsseldorf Airport in
1970. 1977 marked his arrival at Frankfurt,
where he took charge as Cargo Traffic
Manager for Iberia. In 1980 he transferred
to South African Airways as Deputy
Station Manager. 1991 saw his promotion
to Station Manager Frankfurt and with the
opening of SAA’s operation to Munich in
2007, he became Station Manager Germany
up until his retirement.
Today, looking back on his early days in
Frankfurt, he remembers some reservations
he had. “At that time many airline
customers considered the Frankfurt Airport
Authorities (FAG) and departments
slow, bureaucratic and inflexible towards
customers’ demands and that, to a certain
extent, proved true,” remembers
Pembroke. “Luckily those days are long
gone and the new Fraport has developed
into an entirely different company; one
that I have mostly been pleased to work
with and with which I always had a very
good relationship.”
Since those early days, Pembroke has been
a close follower of the airport’s expansion
and the various service enhancement programs.
However, he also recalls the sad
moments during his time at FRA, such as
the bombing in Terminal 1 when four
people lost their lives within meters of the
SAA check-in counters. “That was the
worst I ever experienced as my colleagues
were directly exposed to the scene,” says
Pembroke. Another tragic event however,
led to the most drastic and far-reaching
changes in his everyday working life: September
11, 2001. The attacks in New York
resulted in much stricter security standards
at all airports. “Everything changed from
that day: we staff were no longer able to
move around the airport as freely as before
and all the security measures became
much stricter,” remembers Pembroke.
These were all restrictions that he had to
deal with in his “side job” in the Airline
Operators Committee (AOC).
AOC Chairman for 11 Years
AOC Board Member since 1991 and AOC
Chairman since 2001; Pembroke spent
the past 21 years as a member of the AOC
Board, chairing different working groups.
“Being chairman of this body was a very
demanding and also exciting task, as it
gave me the opportunity to work on a
wide range of issues with many different
airlines, airport departments and authorities,”
recollects Pembroke. “Of course I
will miss all this, just as I will miss my work
as Station Manager. I enjoyed doing my
job and everything that was part of it.”
Having been a hands-on operations manager
he will from now on experience
People World
SAA: New Station
Manager
Pete Karl, 50, has been the new
Station Manager for South African
Airways (SAA) in Frankfurt since the
beginning of the year. Karl started
his career in the airline industry with
Trans World Airlines in 1988 and has
worked in the industry ever since.
He moved to SAA in 1993 and has
worked for the airline in various diff -
erent positions, including as a ticket
agent, catering agent and duty offi -
cer. Karl has already been in Frankfurt
since 2001, working as Deputy
Station Manager and in close cooperation
with his predecessor Thomas
Pembroke. Pembroke’s departure
leaves big shoes to fill, but that is
precisely what Karl intends to do.
Karl is also otherwise focused on
continuity and hopes to maintain
the successful partnership with
Fraport with his 22 staff.
19
more passenger perspectives when traveling
the world with his wife Marianne.
One of the first trips however, will be a
cruise around Cape Horn from Buenos
Aires in Argentina to Valparaiso in Chile.
His successor at SAA is Pete Karl.

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