Munich Airport marked the official launch of its new midfield satellite facility which is designed to handle up to 11 million passengers per year.

About 2,000 invited guests were in attendance at a midday ceremony at the airport's Terminal 2 to mark the official launch.

Starting on April 26 the new terminal will be available for Munich Airport's passenger operations.

"As one of the world's most advanced terminal buildings, the satellite is an infrastructure development for the future. Its annual passenger capacity matches the entire traffic handled by a mid-sized German airport. Once again, Munich is setting new standards. For the state of Bavaria it is an enormous gain in terms of mobility and competitiveness that will make us the envy of other regions in Germany and Europe," said Markus Söder, the Bavarian minister of finance.

Munich Airport's CEO Michael Kerkloh sees the satellite as a key element in the successful ongoing development of the airport. "With the satellite, we will not only maintain our justly renowned standards of service and overall airport experience: We will actually take them to a higher level. That starts with the comfortably appointed waiting areas, and extends to the attractive marketplaces with the charming restaurants and the 27 pier-served aircraft stands which, in most cases, will eliminate the need to move passengers by bus."

The CEO of Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, also commented on the quality improvements through the increased capacity: "The expansion of Terminal 2 with the new satellite building will make the Lufthansa Group airlines operating in Munich a better and more attractive option for passengers from all over the world. With twice as many pier-served stands for boarding and deplaning, five new lounges with more than 4,000-sq-m of floor space and state-of-the-art gates, passengers at our five-star hub will enjoy even more comfort and higher standards of quality. Our investment in premium-quality facilities is a visible commitment to the continuation of our success story in Munich." - TradeArabia News Service