Frankfurt Airport has inaugurated its state-of-the-art Terminal 3, designed to handle up to 19 million passengers annually across three boarding gates. As part of the terminal’s operational readiness, new security lanes have been equipped with advanced millimeterwave scanners from Rohde & Schwarz. The deployment of the QPS201 and QPS Walk2000 models is expected to enhance passenger flow while delivering high standards of security and comfort.
This major expansion ranks among the most advanced airport infrastructures in Europe. Alongside intuitive passenger routing, digital services, and improved public transport connectivity, operator Fraport is prioritizing efficient security processes. To support this, Rohde & Schwarz has installed 17 QPS201 scanners and two QPS Walk2000 systems across the terminal’s security lanes.
The QPS201 security scanner combines high-resolution millimeterwave technology with AI‑powered analysis algorithms. It reliably detects prohibited items with a false alarm rate significantly below regulatory requirements. Image analysis is almost entirely automated, so security personnel only have to check the areas that have actually set off the alarm. This significantly reduces time spent on subsequent checks per passenger and increases the throughput rate of each lane while maintaining the same level of security. More than 2,000 of these systems are currently in use around the world.
The new terminal also features two new QPS Walk2000 scanners, which allow passengers to walk through at a normal pace. The QPS Walk2000 completely eliminates the hassle of having to adopt a fixed pose, as required by traditional scanners.
It not only brings down the average dwell time per passenger but also ensures a low false alarm rate thanks to the highest data quality and most advanced algorithms. For the operator, Fraport, this means increased capacity utilization of the new security lanes, fewer follow-up checks and an overall more reliable security process. For passengers, these scanners mean faster and more comfortable security checks before takeoff.
All scanners have the required approvals from the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other national authorities, emphasizing their regulatory compliance and international applicability. By integrating Rohde & Schwarz scanners, Frankfurt Airport is showing that state-of-the-art technology and seamless passenger processes can go hand in hand.
