Munich Airport is large, yet easy to navigate and compact. It is divided into two terminals based on airlines, rather than on flights to destinations within or outside the Schengen Area.

The two terminals are situated close to one another, separated by the Munich Airport Centre shopping area and the underground railway station.

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The clear layout of the terminals and signage means you won’t get lost.

Just check in advance which terminal you’ll be departing from; see below for details. Even if you happen to arrive at the wrong building, both terminals are connected, and you can walk from one to the other in 10 minutes.

The specific terminal will always be indicated on your ticket; however, to help you find your way around more easily, here is a list of the main airlines and the terminals 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

You can find the full list of airlines on the airport’s website:munich-airport.com/airlines

Terminal 2 Satellite Building

Terminal 2 also has a separate satellite building in the middle of the airport grounds, which is accessible only to passengers.

• Gates G, H – the main terminal, which is a 5–15-minute walk from security
• Gates J, K, L – the satellite building, which can be reached from security check via a free automated underground train in 10–25 minutes
  • The train runs every 3–5 minutes
  • It runs 24/7
  • The journey time is approximately 2 minutes

Connecting between flights

Munich Airport is traditionally rated as one of the most pleasant airports for transfers.

A clear guide to transfers is available on the airport’s website:munich-airport.com/connecting-flights

Although the terminals are large, they are laid out in a very simple and straightforward manner.

Guaranteed connections offered by airlines will almost always take place within a single terminal; in the vast majority of cases, this involves a connection at Terminal 2.

💡 Not sure how to transfer between flights at the airport? Take a look at our general guide to transferring between flights.

Transfer within a single terminal

If you have a connecting flight booked as part of a single booking (a so-called ‘guaranteed connection’) OR you are travelling with hand luggage only and have already checked in online for your next flight, you do not need to leave the transit area.

Schengen <-> Schengen

The simplest type of transfer.

• security check: no
• Passport control: no
• Luggage during the 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 terminals
    • 15–30 minutes if you need to take the automated train to or from gates J, K and L

Schengen -> Non-Schengen

You are travelling from a country within the Schengen Area (e.g. Poland, Romania, France, etc.) to a country outside the Schengen Area (the UK, the USA, Canada, Asia, etc.)

• security check: no
• Passport control: yes
• Luggage during transit: will be transferred automatically
• How much time is needed for the transfer?
  • Terminal 1: 20–40 minutes
  • Terminal 2
    • ​​​20–40 minutes if you are not moving between terminals
    • 25–50 minutes if you need to take the automated train to or from gates J, K and L

Non-Schengen → Schengen

You are travelling from a country outside Europe (or the UK, Turkey, etc.) to a country within the Schengen Area.

• security check
  • ​​​​​​​No– upon arrival from the following countries: Canada, Cyprus, Ireland, Jersey, Montenegro, Singapore, the USA, the United Kingdom
  • Yes – upon arrival from all other countries outside the EU/Schengen Area
• Passport control: yes
• Luggage during a connecting flight: will be transferred automatically
• How much time is needed for a transfer?
  • ​​​​​​​Terminal1: 25–45 minutes (if you do not have an EU passport, it may take up to 60–75 minutes)
  • Terminal 2
    • ​​​25–45 minutes if you do not need to move between terminals
    • 35–65 minutes if you need to take the automated train to/from gates J, K and L
    • 60–90 minutes if you do not hold an EU passport

Non-Schengen <-> Non-Schengen

These connecting flights are also very common in Munich (for example, USA <-> Turkey, etc.)

• security check
  • ​​​​​​​No– upon arrival from the following countries: Canada, Cyprus, Ireland, Jersey, Montenegro, Singapore, the USA, the United Kingdom
  • Yes – upon arrival from all other countries outside the EU/Schengen area
• Passport control: yes
• Luggage during a connecting flight: will be transferred automatically
• How much time is needed for a transfer?
  • ​​​​​​​Terminal1: 25–45 minutes (if you do not have an EU passport, this may be up to 60–75 minutes)
  • Terminal 2
    • ​​​25–45 minutes if you are not moving between terminals
    • 35–65 minutes if you need to take the automated train to/from gates J, K and L
    • 60–90 minutes if you do not hold an EU passport

Are you continuing your journey?

On our website, you’ll find detailed guides on how transport from the airport works and what to do immediately upon arrival at other destinations:

The most common onward journeys from Munich:

• 👉 New York – tips on where to stay
• 👉 Tokyo – an itinerary for a 3-day visit
• 👉 Singapore – my review of my stay at the Marina Bay Sands hotel

If you’re travelling to another country, it’s worth having mobile data sorted before you land:

Get an international eSIM before you fly

Transferring between terminals

Although connecting flights usually take place within a single terminal, the airport offers a free shuttle bus service across the airport grounds between Terminals 1 and 2.

If you do not need to re-check your luggage, you do not need to leave the transit area when transferring between terminals.

The bus runs every 10 minutes from 6.00 to 23.00, and the stops are located at the following points:

• Terminal 1 (Schengen) – by departure gates A28 and D08
• Terminal 1 (Non-Schengen) – by departure gate C08
• Terminal 2 (Schengen) – by departure gate G83
• Terminal 2 (Non-Schengen) – by departure gate H15

Airport map

You can view the official map of Munich Airport’s terminals on the munich-airport.de website, where maps are also available to download in .pdf format.