First breakdown soon after launch: Frankfurt Sky Line train out of service

Published on 27/05/2026 - 8:24 GMT+2

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Welcome to Frankfurt Airport. The new Sky Line train (Line 2) is out of service until further notice; that is the message awaiting travellers on site and anyone visiting the website of Germany’s largest airport.

The outage is due to 'necessary technical inspections and adjustments to the overall system'. Passengers now have to use shuttle buses instead of the new train; they run back and forth between terminal buildings 1, 2 and 3 every day.

Yet the new Sky Line train only opened at Frankfurt Airport a month ago. Over a distance of 5.6 kilometres, the driverless train is meant to carry up to 4,000 Schengen and non-Schengen passengers per hour from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3. Fast and efficient – that is the idea: the journey is supposed to take just eight minutes, and it is free of charge. Twelve trains, each made up of two carriages, are to operate on the route, linking Frankfurt Airport’s regional and long-distance railway stations with Terminal 3.

When the Sky Line train will once again live up to these promises is currently unclear. Operator Fraport has asked for patience and says it is working to get the service back up and running as quickly as possible.

According to Frankfurt Airport, the opening of the new Terminal 3 is meant to mark the start of a new era. The move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 is due to be completed on 9 June, and the operator says the new facilities will be able to handle up to 19 million passengers a year. Fraport has invested a total of four billion euros in the project. The promised 'perfect connection' has been slightly delayed by the Sky Line shutdown.