X-Ray Mega Airport (also known as Inside Frankfurt Airport[1]) is a five-part British television series which premiered on 21 May 2015 on the Discovery Channel in the United Kingdom and subsequently on international versions of the Discovery Channel in more than 220 territories.[2] The program was commissioned by Discovery International in 2014, and is produced by Voltage TV.[3]
| X-Ray Mega Airport | |
|---|---|
 Title card of X-Ray Mega Airport | |
| Also known as | Inside Frankfurt Airport |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Narrated by | Colin Mace |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Liz Brach Richard Dale Sanjay Singhal |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company | Voltage TV |
| Original release | |
| Network | Discovery Channel |
| Release | 21 May – 18 June 2015 |
The series examines Frankfurt International Airport using CGI, laser scanning technology and thermal cameras to investigate the science and technology behind aviation.[4]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title[5][6] | Original UK air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Race Against the Clock" | 21 May 2015 | |
|
Discover how every action at a mega-airport is planned to the hour, the minute, and the second. Keeping to such a regimented schedule requires thousands of engineers to race against the clock, twenty-four hours a day.[5] | |||
| 2 | "Total Control" | 28 May 2015 | |
|
Using advanced equipment to x-ray scan the airport, find out how every action is precisely and predictably controlled, including that of the passengers as they enter the terminal, one of the most highly-controlled environments on Earth.[5] | |||
| 3 | "The Airport Never Sleeps" | 4 June 2015 | |
|
Head behind the scenes at one of Europe’s busiest hubs, and discover how an operation the size of Frankfurt never enjoys down-time.[5] | |||
| 4 | "Crossroads of the World" | 11 June 2015 | |
|
Head into the heart of this global mega-airport and explore its vital role in the world’s vast international air network. Flights from five continents land at Germany’s biggest airport every day - a feat only possible due to specialists from seventy countries working together to welcome passengers to the Frankfurt hub.[5] | |||
| 5 | "Failure Is Not An Option" | 18 June 2015 | |
|
The airport’s engineering teams are under pressure, managing specialist technology that they cannot risk to fail. Witness an engine change on an A380 airliner, before finding out the precautions involved in pumping tens of thousands of litres of highly flammable aviation fuel.[5] | |||
Broadcast
editIn the United Kingdom, the series premiered on the Discovery Channel on 21 May 2015. In Germany, the setting for the program, the series premiered under the title Inside Frankfurt Airport[1] on 26 May 2015 on the German Discovery Channel.[7]
In Australia, the series premiered on 9 June 2015 on the Australian Discovery Channel[8][9] and was watched by 6,000 viewers overnight and another 10,000 viewers who timeshifted the program within 7 days.[10] It premiered on the English language Southeast Asian feed of Discovery Channel Asia on 24 June 2015.[11][12][13] The series premiered in the United States on 3 January 2016 on the Smithsonian Channel[14][15] to 78,000 viewers.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b "Inside Frankfurt Airport". Frankfurt Airport. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ Rabjohns, Tim (19 May 2015). "Earth – X-Ray Mega Airport CGI for Discovery". Dotmogo. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (2 December 2014). "Discovery takes flight with "X-Ray Mega Airport" series". Real Screen. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ White, Peter (2 December 2014). "Discovery jets to Frankfurt airport". Broadcastnow.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "What Goes Through X-Ray: Mega Airport - A New Discovery Channel Series". Clickthecity.com. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "X-Ray Mega Airport". RadioTimes. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ ""X-RAY MEGA AIRPORT": Discovery Networks International Sheds New Light on the Inner Workings of FRA". Startfrei. 24 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Foxtel in June: 200+ new shows including Orange Is The New Black, True Detective, Suits, PLL, Wimbledon and more". The Green Room. Foxtel. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "X-RAY MEGA AIRPORT". Discovery Channel Australia and New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "Ratings: Tuesday 9th June 2015". Media Spy. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Entertainment (06/23/15)". Business World Online. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Highlight: Discovery Channel". Indovision. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Video: X-Ray Mega Airport". Discovery Channel Asia. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Smithsonian Channel: Race Against The Clock Video". Smithsonian Channel. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "X-Ray Mega Airport". Smithsonian Channel. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (6 January 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Update: 1.3.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.