Flight inspection of the instrument landing system (ILS) at Frankfurt Airport

The calibration flights to check the instrument landing system at Frankfurt Airport's runway northwest had to be postponed at short notice. They will now take place from Monday, 2 October until Tuesday, 3 October. In addition, the calibration aircraft will fly again during the nights between 5 and 8 October.  

Flights to check the instrument landing system of runway northwest at Frankfurt Airport were planned to take place from 21 to 24 September and had to be postponed to the alternative date (28 September to 1 October) at short notice. Directly afterwards, further calibrations have become necessary on runway northwest. These will be conducted from tonight and are expected to continue until the early hours of Wednesday, 3 October. 

This will be followed by further calibration flights for runway northwest immediately afterwards from 5 October until 8 October.  

The calibration aircraft specially equipped for this purpose will check the precision of the signals, which are essential for safe landings. Both operating directions of the runway will be checked, i.e. approaches from the east as well as from the west.  

On these days, the calibrations will begin at 23:00 hrs and last until approximately 03:00 hrs on the following day.  

The calibration aircraft being used is a turboprop Beechcraft Super King Air 350. Overflights of built-up areas will be avoided as far as possible and to the extent the specified flight profiles permit. The instrument landing system provides navigational support for pilots during approach. The basic principle is that signal transmitters on the ground electronically define the approach course and glide path angle. The signals are received in the aircraft and displayed to the pilot in the cockpit. Only calibration aircraft that are specially equipped for this purpose are able to check the precision of these signals.  

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) prescribes the calibration of the instrument landing system at regular intervals. The systems and their inspection through calibration flights are important for the safe, orderly and efficient handling of traffic at airports.  

Media contact:  
Ute Otterbein 
Telephone: +49 (0)6103 707-4162  
E-mail: presse@dfs.de  

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a State-owned company under private law with 5,600 employees as at 30 June 2023. DFS ensures the safe and punctual flow of air traffic over Germany. Around 2,200 air traffic controllers guide more than three million flights through German airspace in peak years, up to 10,000 every day. The company operates control centres in Bremen, Karlsruhe, Langen and Munich as well as control towers at the 15 designated international airports in Germany. The subsidiary, DFS Aviation Services GmbH, markets and sells products and services related to air navigation services, and provides air traffic control at nine regional airports in Germany and at Edinburgh Airport in the United Kingdom. DFS is working on the integration of drones into air traffic and has set up a joint venture, Droniq GmbH, with Deutsche Telekom. Other subsidiaries include R. Eisenschmidt GmbH, which markets publications and products for general aviation, and Kaufbeuren ATM Training GmbH (KAT), which provides training for military air traffic services personnel. The joint venture FCS Flight Calibration Services GmbH offers flight inspection services.