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Transfers and Terminal Layout at Munich Airport
Munich Airport is large but clear and compact. It is divided into 2 terminals according to airlines, not according to flights to Schengen or non-Schengen countries.
The two terminals are closely separated by the Munich Airport Center commercial area and the underground train station.
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The clear layout of the terminals and signage makes it easy to get lost.
Just find out which terminal you'll be departing from in advance, see below for details. Even if you happen to arrive at the wrong building, the two terminals are interconnected and you can walk from one to the other in 10 minutes.
The specific terminal will always be indicated on your ticket, but for ease of reference we list the most important airlines and which terminal they fly from in Frankfurt:
- Terminal 1: Aer Lingus, Air Anka, Air Arabia, Air Cairo, Air Corsica, Air Europa, Air France, Air Serbia, AJet, AlbaStar, American Airlines, Animawings, Arkia, Bluebird Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Condor, Corendon, Delta, easyJet, ElAl, Emirates, Enter Air, Etihad Airways, Finnair, Flynas, FlyOne, Freebird Airlines, GP Aviation, Gulf Air, Iberia, Icelandair, KLM, Kuwait Airways, Mavi Gök, Nesma Airlines, Nile Air, Norwegian, Nouvelair, Oman Air, Pegasus Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, SAS, Saudia, SCAT, Sky Express, Smartwings, Somn Air, Southwind Airlines, SundAir, SunExpress, TUIfly, Tunisair, Turkish Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Volotea, Vueling, Wideroe
- Terminal 2: Aegean Airlines, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air China, Air Dolomiti, ANA, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Discover Airlines, Egyptair, Eurowings, EVA Air, ITA Airways, KM Malta Airlines, LOT, Lufthansa, Luxair, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, TAP, Thai, United
For a complete breakdown of airlines, please visit the airport website: munich-airport.com/airlines
Terminal 2 Satellite Building
Terminal 2 has one more separate satellite building in the middle of the apron, which is only accessible to passengers.
- Gates G, H - the main terminal, which is a 5-15 minute walk from security
- Gates J, K, L - satellite building, which can be reached from the security checkpoint by a free automatic underground train in 10-25 minutes
- the train has an interval of 3-5 minutes
- runs 24/7
- travel time is about 2 minutes
Transfer between flights
Munich Airport is traditionally rated as one of the most pleasant airports for connecting flights.
The airport website provides a clear guide to connecting flights: munich-airport.com/connecting-flights
The terminals are large, but very simply and clearly laid out.
Guaranteed transfers offered by airlines will almost always take place within a single terminal, in the vast majority of cases in Terminal 2.
💡 Don't know how to transfer at the airport? Check out our general guide to transferring between flights.
Transferring within the same terminal
If you have a connecting flight booked in one booking (a guaranteed transfer) OR you are travelling with hand luggage only and have already checked in online for the next flight, you do not need to leave the transit area.
Schengen <-> Schengen
The easiest type of transfer.
- Security check: no
- Passport control: no
- baggage on transfer: will be transferred automatically
- How much time is needed for the transfer?
- Terminal 1: 10-15 minutes
- Terminal 2
- 10-15 minutes if you are not moving between buildings
- 15-30 minutes if you have to take the automatic train between gates J, K, L
Schengen -> Non-Schengen
You are transferring from a Schengen country (e.g. Poland, Romania, France, etc.) to a non-Schengen country (UK, USA, Canada, Asia, etc.)
- Security check: no
- Passport control: yes
- baggage on transfer: will be transferred automatically
- how much time is needed for the transfer?
- Terminal1: 20-40 minutes
- Terminal 2
- 20-40 minutes if you are not moving between buildings
- 25-50 minutes if you have to take the automatic train between gates J, K, L
Non-Schengen -> Schengen
You are transferring from a non-European country (or the UK, Turkey, etc.) to a Schengen country.
- security check
- No- on arrival from the following countries: Canada, Cyprus, Ireland, Jersey, Montenegro, Singapore, USA, UK
- Yes - on arrival from all other non-EU/Schengen countries
- passport control: yes
- baggage on transfer: will be automatically transferred
- how much time is needed for the transfer?
- Terminal1: 25-45 minutes (if you don't have an EU passport then it can be up to 60-75 minutes)
- Terminal 2
- 25-45 minutes if you are not moving between buildings
- 35-65 minutes if you have to take the automatic train between gates J, K, L
- 60-90 minutes if you do not have an EU passport
Non-Schengen <-> Non-Schengen
These transfers are also very common in Munich (e.g. USA <-> Turkey etc.)
- security check
- No- on arrival from the following countries: Canada, Cyprus, Ireland, Jersey, Montenegro, Singapore, USA, UK
- yes - on arrival from all other non-EU/Schengen countries
- passport control: yes
- baggage on transfer: will be automatically transferred
- how much time is needed for the transfer?
- Terminal1: 25-45 minutes (if you don't have an EU passport then it can be up to 60-75 minutes)
- Terminal 2
- 25-45 minutes if you are not moving between buildings
- 35-65 minutes if you have to take the automatic train between gates J, K, L
- 60-90 minutes if you do not have an EU passport
Are you continuing on your journey?
On our website, you'll find detailed guides on how airport transfers work and what to do once you arrive at your next destination:
The most common continuations from Munich:
- 👉 New York - tips on where to stay
- 👉 Tokyo - itinerary for a 3-day visit
- 👉 Singapore - my review of my stay at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
If you're changing countries, it pays to have mobile data ready before you land:
Get an international eSIM before you fly
Transfer between terminals
Even though connecting flights usually take place within a single terminal, the airport will offer free shuttle buses running on the tarmac between Terminals 1 and 2.
If you don't have to re-check your baggage, you don't have to leave the transit area when transferring between terminals.
The bus runs every 10 minutes from 06:00 to 23:00 and stops at the following locations:
- Terminal 1 (Schengen) - at departure gates A28 and D08
- Terminal 1 (Non-Schengen) - at departure gate C08
- Terminal 2 (Schengen) - at departure gate G83
- Terminal 2 (Non-Schengen) - at departure gate H15
Airport map
You can view the official terminal map of Munich Airport on the munich-airport.de website, and downloadable maps in .pdf format are also available.
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Any questions left?
If you have any questions or comments about the article...
2 comments
Translated from cestee.cz
Hello, I am flying Lufthansa from Prague to Vancouver via Munich in a month. I have 1h 25min to change planes. I am not an experienced traveller. I would like to know if my luggage will fly straight through, if that is enough time to change planes, check in, what to expect when I land in Munich. If I'm reading this correctly, arrival and departure should be from terminal 2. Is it difficult to move to the departure gate to Canada after arriving from Prague? Don't I have to take the train and go through passport control in Munich?
Thank you very much for the answer, I'm stressed and I want to be informed in advance, Tanya
Kryštof Hájek
Translated from cestee.cz
Hello Tanya, for less experienced travellers we have a general article on how transfers work: https://www.cestujlevne.com/blog...na-letisti
In this particular case:
- luggage will be transferred automatically, you don't worry about it in Munich.
- you will be checked in already in Prague for both flights (i.e. luggage and boarding passes)
- Yes, there is an arrival and departure from terminal 2 in Munich. This is divided into two buildings (the main section and the so-called satellite building - an underground automatic train runs between them)
- you can't tell in advance whether you will take the train or not. The two sections of the terminal handle all types of flights and the departure gate is not always the same, but Munich Airport is very clearly signposted
- passport control only when changing planes in Munich, security only in Prague, not when changing planes
- enough time to change planes is whatever the airline sells. I had the same amount of time to connect Prague - Munich - New York and we made it just fine, even though the flight from Prague was delayed 30 minutes
Translated from cestee.cz
Thank you very much for your quick clear reply and I wish you well, TM
Hello, I've never flown with a connection in Munich before. We are now flying from Prague via Munich to Kalamata, Greece. Should I follow any Transit signs in Munich or what will direct me to the connection? We were supposed to have an hour and a half to transfer and the airline changed it and we only have 30 minutes, so I'd like to have some information ahead of time on how the transfer works so we can make it as quickly as possible. Thank you.
Yesterday I was changing planes in Munich too in the Schengen area, you walk out of the plane into the area where there are passengers waiting to depart, right in front of you is a board with a gate for the next flight so you run to it. There are no transit boards there, it couldn't be more primitive