DFS: New runway opened at Frankfurt Airport
21-Oct-2011 "German Air Force six two five, runway zero seven left, cleared to land."With these words, the air traffic controller in the tower issued the clearance to land for the government aircraft with Chancellor Angela Merkel on board. At 14:40 hrs, the Airbus A 319 touched down on runway northwest of Frankfurt Airport and officially opened the new landing runway.
A Lufthansa Airbus A 321 landed about an hour later and marked the start of normal flight operations on runway northwest.
As a rule, the new landing runway may only be used during the daytime between 5:00 and 23:00 hrs. However, flights for technical checks, such as calibration flights, are also permitted during the night in exceptional cases. They are necessary to check technical facilities, such as the instrument landing system, and are indispensable for the safety of air traffic.