The Munich Airport, named for the former Bavarian Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauß, is the 2nd busiest airport and Germany, and 7th busiest in Europe. It is located about 18 miles to the Northeast of Munich, and offers services to domestic, Schengen and international (non-schengen) destinations. The airport opened in May 1992, replacing the former Munich-Riem Airport. Flughafen Munich features two terminals, numbered 1 and 2, both of which are wheelchair accessible. A new satellite of Terminal 2 will open at the end of April, 2016.
I have only used the Munich Airport on one occasion, an arrival in December 2015 from Amsterdam. Given my limited experience, I cannot comment on the specific facilities within the terminal area, the border/passport control experience, or the check-in/departure experience. The airport’s website provides a great deal of information to guide travelers with special assistance needs.
My experience at the airport was generally good, and I agreed to collect my power wheelchair at the baggage claim area on arrival. I was given the option to receive it at the gate, but chose not to in order to speed up the process. The chair arrived at baggage claim a few minutes after I did, and I was quickly on my way to the Munich city center via public transportation.
Departures
As I noted earlier, I do not have any experience with departing from Munich Airport (only arriving to it), but I can offer some information that applies to all wheelchair users, regardless of the airport.
You can plan a successful and accessible air travel experience by reading my answers to frequently asked questions in my Wheelchair Users’ Guide to Air Travel. If you are traveling with a wheelchair or other disability, make sure to contact the airline and request assistance as far in advance as possible. With travel outside of the United States, it is recommended that you make this request at least 24 to 48 hours before departure.
If you are traveling with a power wheelchair, check the airplane cargo hold dimensions to make sure your wheelchair will fit on the aircraft! You should also read my tips for preventing damage to your mobility device when traveling by air.
Munich Airport has two terminals. The following list tells you which terminal airlines are located in, to save you the hassle of arriving at the wrong terminal for check-in.
- Terminal 1: Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, airBaltic, Air Berlin, Air Europa, Air France, Air VIA, Alitalia, American Airlines, Arkia, AtlasGlobal, Borajet, British Airways, Condor, Delta Air Lines, easyJet, El Al, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Finnair, Flybe, Freeboard Airlines, Germania, Iberia, Icelandair, Israir, KLM, Kuwait Airways, Mahan Air, Meridiana, Nordic Aviation, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Nouvelair, Oman Air, Orenair, Pegasus Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, SATA International, SkyWork Airlines, Sun D’Or, SunExpress, SunExpress Deutschland, TAROM, TUIfly, Transavia, Transavia France, Tunisair, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines, Ural Airlines, Volotea, Vueling.
- Terminal 2: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air Dolomiti, Air Malta, All Nippon Airways, Austrian Airlines, BMI Regional, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Germanwings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional, Luxair, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss International Air Lines, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, United Airlines.
In general, Terminal 2 is restricted to members of the StarAlliance and partners of Lufthansa. Lufthansa subsidiary Condor is located in Terminal 1, along with airlines in the OneWorld and Skyteam alliances.
Ground Transportation
Public transportation is an efficient way to get to/from the Munich Airport. S-Bahn lines S1 and S8 provide service between the airport and city center, and offer connections to multiple lines of the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, and city bus service. In the arrivals hall, follow the green S-Bahn signs (an S inside a green circle), which will lead you to the station below Terminal 1.
For more information, please see my Wheelchair Users’ Guide to Munich Public Transportation.
