Copenhagen Airport to expand Terminal 3

Passengers and airlines need more space and better conditions at the Copenhagen Airport’s busy Terminal 3.

With this in mind, a major expansion is being planned, incorporating a shortcut from the metro to the security check that will give two million passengers an easier passage through the airport.

More than 20 million people pass through the busy Terminal 3 every year – and the number is growing. Copenhagen Airport is therefore planning a major renovation and expansion at a total cost of DKK 0.25 billion.

“Terminal 3 is the first and last impression that most passengers get of Copenhagen Airport – so it needs to be a good impression. In recent years, the airport has grown by a million passengers a year, so now we need more space. Consequently, we’re now starting up the first two of four big building projects,” says Copenhagen Airport’s technical director, Christian Poulsen.

The two most significant building projects in Terminal 3 are the planned extension and the shortcut from the metro.

Currently, around one in four people take the metro to the airport, and many of them need to go to Terminal 2 or directly to the security check.

“More and more people are checking in from home and travelling only with hand baggage. They need to be able to go directly from the metro to the security check without having to go down onto the busy floor of Terminal 3. The same applies for those who need to go to Terminal 2. We’re therefore planning a shortcut in the form of an overhead walkway at first-floor height from the metro all the way through Terminal 3. Our calculations show that more than 2 million passengers will use the shortcut,” says Christian Poulsen.

The new overhead walkway will free up a lot of floor space in the busy Terminal 3. However, work on the shortcut from the metro is not scheduled to begin until autumn 2018, as it is dependent on the three other building projects, especially the new extension.

“It also needs to be easier to move between terminals when arriving at the airport. So the plan is to expand the area between Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 by a total of 1,500 m2 across three floors. The extension will provide much more space. And in future it will be via this building that people will be able to get from the metro shortcut directly down to Terminal 2,” says Poulsen.

The extension between the terminals is scheduled to be built from autumn 2017 onwards and should be complete in summer 2018. Before then, two building projects need to be carried out on the floor, and these are beginning now.

“In order to create more space for everyone, we’re moving the exit from baggage reclaim so that arriving passengers are closer to taxis and buses. This will also give more space for people welcoming friends and family who are returning from a trip. At the same time, it will provide a clearer division between those who are arriving and those who are about to travel,” says Poulsen.

This project will start up after the autumn holiday, as will the replacement of the worn and cracked floor in the terminal.

“The current granite floor from 1998 has, unfortunately, begun to crack. This is not good for wheeled cases, passengers or employees. Also, the many cracks in the floor do not give the impression we should be giving as the airport for the whole of Denmark. So the floor needs to be replaced. In order to minimise inconvenience, we will be replacing the floor in stages by summer 2017,” says Poulsen.

The expansion of Terminal 3 is part of the overall “Expanding CPH” plan for how the airport can grow to 40 million passengers.

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