Frankfurt Airport Becomes the First Airport Worldwide to Use Auracast™ for Public Announcements
- johannessittig8
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
FRANKFURT, Germany – January 28, 2026 – Frankfurt Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, has started testing Auracast broadcast audio, a new Bluetooth® capability, at two gates, becoming the first airport in the world to send all gate announcements directly to passengers’ own hearing aids, earbuds and smartphones. This marks an important step towards making air travel less stressful and more inclusive for everyone, especially the almost one in five – or more than 1.5 billion[1] – people globally who live with hearing loss.
Auracast broadcast audio is a Bluetooth® capability that turns public sound into a direct audio stream that people can tune into with their own devices. Instead of struggling to hear announcements over background noise, travelers can simply connect and listen as if they were taking a phone call or listening to music on their personal device.
The new solution has been installed at the gates A16 and A17 in Terminal 1. Over the next two months, the project partners will gather feedback from travelers and staff to evaluate how the technology affects accessibility, comfort, and the overall passenger experience. The trial is part of a Distr@l‑funded digital-accessibility initiative. Distr@l is a public funding program from the German state of Hesse that supports innovative digital projects and collaboration between research and industry. The project is led by Sittig Technologies together with Fraport and the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences.
“As the airport operator, we want our passengers to have a comfortable and relaxing stay at our terminals,” says Alexander Laukenmann, Senior Executive Vice President Aviation, Fraport AG. “By bringing clear, personalized announcements directly into passengers’ own hearing devices, we are offering another attractive service to our customers while at the same time taking an important step towards a more inclusive airport.
“Auracast fundamentally changes how announcements work in airports,” says Johannes Sittig, CEO US, Sittig Technologies. “We are proud to collaborate with Frankfurt Airport as a first mover, guided by a clear vision for a more inclusive, passenger-centric travel experience. Together, we’re transforming automated and manual gate announcements into a direct, personal audio service delivered straight to passengers’ own devices. By integrating Auracast into our PAXGuide announcement platform, we’re redefining airport communication without requiring airports to replace their existing infrastructure.”
Inclusiveness for Hearing Aid Users and Support for Silent Airport Concepts
With Auracast broadcast audio, passengers with Auracast compatible hearing aids, earbuds, headphones, as well as users of assistive listening devices, can receive gate announcements via their supported smartphones. This offers a new level of clarity and confidence for travelers with hearing loss, who often find it challenging to hear traditional loudspeaker announcements in busy terminals.
Auracast also supports “silent airport” concepts, where frequent loudspeaker announcements are replaced by direct personal updates. Passengers can receive important gate information – such as boarding calls, changes, or delays – straight to their own Auracast-enabled earbuds or headphones via a supported smartphone, including models from partners like Pixel and Samsung, or an app from an Auracast enabled GN hearing device. This helps reduce noise in the terminal while keeping travelers fully informed.
“Frankfurt Airport is setting a new standard for inclusive travel, and we are proud that GN can help make that possible,” says Peter Justesen, President, GN’s Hearing division. “As the first company to introduce Auracast into hearing aids, we’re now bringing this innovation to travelers – giving passengers with hearing loss clearer access to gate information and a smoother, more confident journey. Our hope is that this pilot will inspire many more airports to embrace the next era of connected and accessible travel.”
“We are proud to support Frankfurt Airport’s vision for a quieter, more accessible travel experience that benefits all passengers. This project demonstrates how Auracast and Bluetooth® LE Audio can deliver real, everyday benefits for users,” says JM Choi, Corporate Vice President and Head of Connectivity R&D, Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics. “Our industry-leading connectivity technology ensures a seamless, robust connection even in high-density airport environments, while significantly improving battery efficiency. By integrating Auracast across our devices, Samsung delivers a complete end-to-end experience, enhancing accessibility and confidence for travelers.”
Seamless Integration with Existing Gate Systems
Auracast transmitters are integrated directly into Sittig’s PAXModular IP paging stations – already installed at the gates in Frankfurt Airport. This allowed the airport to introduce Auracast broadcast audio without major rebuilding or additional hardware. At the same time, all automated announcements from Sittig’s PAXGuide system are broadcast through these transmitters, delivering manual and automated gate information straight to passengers’ smartphones, headphones, and hearing aids. This setup provides stable Auracast coverage today and makes future expansion simple.
The installation is supported by several leading technology partners, underscoring the strong industry backing for Auracast and its potential to improve accessibility in public spaces. Partners include GN, Google, Samsung, and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), all contributing solutions and expertise to enhance listening experiences in venues such as airports.
For further information, please contact:
Maria Linden
Corporate Communications, Fraport AG
Phone: +49 69 690-70557
E-Mail: m.linden@fraport.de
Johannes Sittig
CEO US, Sittig Technologies
Tel: +49 69 3700020
E-Mail: info@sittig.de
Marie Schleimann Nordlund
Director of Communication & Community, GN
Tel: +45 3126 3734
About Sittig Technologies
Sittig Technologies is a global provider of voice communication and automated announcement solutions for airports and transportation hubs. Founded in 1987 in Germany, the company has built decades of experience in delivering reliable and easy-to-use communication systems for complex public environments.
Airports, Airlines and transportation hubs around the world use Sittig’s PAXGuide system to provide clear, consistent, and multilingual passenger announcements. By automating announcements and connecting them with operational information, PAXGuide helps staff reduce manual effort while ensuring passengers receive timely and accessible information.
Today, Sittig Technologies serves customers worldwide and operates internationally with offices in Europe and the United States.sittig-tech.com Sittig on Linkedin
About Fraport AG and Frankfurt Airport
Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, Fraport AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange, MDAX) is one of the world’s leading players in the global airport business. Fraport’s portfolio of companies spans four continents with activities at 29 airports worldwide. The Fraport Group generated revenue of €4.4 billion and profit of some €501.9 million in fiscal year 2024 (Dec. 31). A total of approximately 184 million passengers used airports actively managed by Fraport in 2025.
Fraport’s home base Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is strategically located in the heart of Europe at the junction of vital intermodal road, rail and air networks. The surrounding Frankfurt Rhine-Main-Neckar region serves as an economic powerhouse and logistics hub for Europe and the world. In 2025, FRA welcomed some 63.2 million passengers and handled about 2.1 million metric tons of cargo.
About GN
GN brings people closer through our leading intelligent hearing, audio, video, and gaming solutions. Inspired by people and driven by innovation, we deliver technologies that enhance the senses of hearing and sight. We help people with hearing loss overcome real-life challenges, improve communication and collaboration for businesses, and provide great experiences for audio and gaming enthusiasts.
GN was founded more than 150 years ago with a vision to connect the world. Today, inspired by our strong heritage, GN touches more lives than ever with our unique expertise and the broadest portfolio of products and services in our history – bringing people closer to what is important to them. We market our solutions with the brands Jabra, ReSound, SteelSeries, Beltone, Interton, BlueParrott, Danavox, and FalCom in 100 countries. Founded in 1869, GN Group employs more than 7,000 people and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (GN.CO).
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, digital signage, smartphones, wearables, tablets, home appliances and network systems, as well as memory, system LSI and foundry. Samsung is also advancing medical imaging technologies, HVAC solutions and robotics, while creating innovative automotive and audio products through Harman. With its SmartThings ecosystem, open collaboration with partners, and integration of AI across its portfolio, Samsung delivers a seamless and intelligent connected experience. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.
About Bluetooth Special Interest Group
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is the international standards development organization responsible for advancing, protecting, and promoting Bluetooth® technology, the global standard for connection. With over 40,000 member companies, we are a community of the world’s most inventive people collaborating to fulfill the essential need to connect. Driven by a shared vision of creating a better world through connection, our members ship over 5 billion Bluetooth enabled products each year that make our lives safer, healthier, and more joyful, while helping businesses and industries become more efficient, sustainable, and productive. Learn more about who we are at www.bluetooth.com