Lol it has nothing to do with Germans favoring safer working conditions.

Here are quite a few more examples:

Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok): Often cited as one of the most ambitious engineering projects in history, the entire airport—including the creation of a massive artificial island—was completed in just 7 years (1991–1998). They didn’t just build a terminal; they leveled two mountainous islands, reclaimed land from the sea, and built a world-class hub from scratch in less time than it took Frankfurt to finish a single terminal.

London Heathrow Terminal 2 (The Queen’s Terminal): Built in a highly regulated, democratic Western environment, this terminal was completed in just 4 years (2010–2014). It was constructed in the middle of the world’s busiest dual-runway airport, requiring surgical precision to avoid disrupting millions of passengers—yet it was still finished in nearly a third of the time FRA took.

Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), China: Completed in roughly 5 years (2014–2019). This is the world’s largest single-building terminal. 

Changi Airport Terminal 4, Singapore: This high-tech facility was completed in only 4 years (2013–2017). Singapore’s safety and building codes are among the strictest in the world. Despite this, they managed to build a fully automated, 16-million-passenger terminal in less than half the time of FRA Terminal 3. 

JFK Terminal 1 (The New Terminal One): This $9.5 billion project is significantly larger and more expensive than FRA Terminal 3. Groundbreaking occurred in 2022, and Phase 1 is scheduled to open in 2026. Even with the massive scale of a 23-gate international headhouse, the core construction timeline is set for 4 years.

JFK Terminal 6: A $4.2 billion project that broke ground in early 2023. The first gates are expected to be operational in 2026. This shows that even in a highly litigious and regulated environment like New York City, 3–4 years is the standard for major terminal phases.

JFK Terminal 5 (JetBlue "T5"): The original construction of this terminal remains a gold standard for speed in the modern era. It took just 3 years to complete (December 2005 – October 2008). Builders had to navigate the extreme complexity of preserving the historic Eero Saarinen TWA Flight Center while constructing a brand new 26-gate facility around it—a feat of architectural surgery that makes FRA's "greenfield" site look easy.

JFK Terminal 4 Expansion: This $1.5 billion project broke ground in the fall of 2021 and was substantially complete by late 2023. In just 2 years, they added 10 new gates and 150,000 square feet of space to one of the world's busiest terminals—all while the building remained fully operational and packed with millions of passengers.