X-Ray Mega Airport

2016 • Smithsonian Channel

4.1

11 reviews

TV-PG

Rating

Eligible

Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More

Season 1 episodes (5)

1 Race Against the Clock

1/4/16

Season-only

Every action at an airport is planned to the hour, minute, and second. From the ramp agent, who gets in-bound planes ready to go back out again, to the taxiway controller, who guides them to the runway, to the pilots, who take them to the skies. Meet the people at Frankfurt Airport who make the decisions to win the race against the clock. Using cutting-edge camera technology and computer imagery, we give an inside look at the inner-workings of this Mega Airport and the high stress challenges happening every second of every day.

2 Total Control

1/11/16

Season-only

Moving 100,000 bags a day and ensuring they make it to their flights on time. Managing the ecosystem to prevent disaster. Landing a 430-ton super jumbo. To run a Mega Airport, everything must be kept under control. Join us as we use state-of-the-art equipment to x-ray scan Frankfurt's international airport and reveal how every action is precisely controlled, from the passengers as they enter the terminal to the vast, underground baggage network to the brain of a pilot as he attempts one of the most dangerous parts of a flight, landing.

3 The Airport Never Sleeps

1/18/16

Season-only

At one of the biggest and busiest airports in the world, there is no downtime. It requires watchful controllers, hard-working emergency teams, and high-tech equipment operating day and night, 24/7. Go behind the scenes at Frankfurt Airport and see firsthand how their on-site firefighters control the flames when disaster hits the runway. Enter the air traffic control tower, where another team that never hits the off switch patrols the skies overhead. Meet the rest of the crews working to keep this Mega Airport working round-the-clock.

4 Crossroads of the World

1/25/16

Season-only

700 flights from 5 continents land at Frankfurt Airport every day, a feat only possible due to specialists from 70 countries working together to welcome passengers into this busy hub. Meet the teams that connect this Mega Airport to the globe. We show how over 20,000 weird and wonderful ground vehicles race across the tarmac to keep flights on schedule, how retail specialists have turned international shopping into a science, and how a four-legged fleet of sniffer dogs are leading the fight against global drug smuggling.

5 Failure is Not An Option

1/31/16

Season-only

At an airport, one simple mistake can mean the loss of millions of dollars, or worse, the loss of lives. At Frankfurt's international airport, everything must go off without a hitch, and for all who work here, they know that failure is not an option. Go behind the scenes and follow the highly specialized employees who repair the engines, screen all the passengers and luggage, change the runway lights, and keep a Mega Airport that uses more electricity than some small countries powered up.

About this show

Every day, almost 200,000 people pass through Frankfurt Airport. Flying has become so routine, that most travelers never consider what a remarkable feat of human ingenuity it is. But that’s about to change. X-Ray: Mega Airport takes you behind the scenes, from the tarmac to the terminal to the aircraft, revealing how everything in this intricately designed mini-city functions. Using state-of-the-art camera technology and computer imagery, we detail the engineering inside the planes, the machinery, and even the brains of the people who work here.

Ratings and reviews

4.1

11 reviews

A Google user

September 19, 2016

X Ray mega airport

2 people found this review helpful

A Google user

October 2, 2016

1 person found this review helpful

Damon Webster

July 6, 2018

Awesom