Narrative:

I have a serious concern for the dangerous inadequacy of the commercially produced eddf airport runway and taxiway plates that we are currently utilizing. This plate; from the commercial chart provider is unsatisfactory and far too small to be properly useful at a large airfield like eddf. We are properly concerned with and focused on the risk of runway incursions at all the airports that we operate from. Several years ago the eddf airport page was changed from a large format fold out taxi diagram (such as ord and den); to its current unsatisfactory one page format. The process of shrinking it down to fit made the plate much less useful and now requires reference to the two supplemental airport pages to navigate for both arrival and departure. Having to flip pages while underway and; for example; traveling at high speed on the landing roll and turn off is not at all desirable. We are; after all; trying to eliminate any confusion in the cockpit; not add to it. Good situational awareness requires cockpit access to good tools; and the eddf airport page is a very poor tool. Just to illustrate. Look at today's airport page and try to comply with the following typical tower instructions issued as the runway is exited. Scenario = landing runway 25L: 'flight 123 turn right on taxiway C. Hold short of golf'. Try to find C and G referring to the eddf airport page. Please note a similar situation happened at lhr with the airport page; but in my opinion the eddf case is more deficient. In the interest of flight safety I urge you in the strongest terms to restore a proper large- foldout airport page at eddf as soon as possible.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-400 Captain suggests the format of the commercially provided airport page for EDDF is too small and contains insufficient information for navigation on the airport surface.

Narrative: I have a serious concern for the DANGEROUS inadequacy of the commercially produced EDDF airport runway and taxiway plates that we are currently utilizing. This plate; from the commercial chart provider is UNSATISFACTORY and far too small to be properly useful at a large airfield like EDDF. We are properly concerned with and focused on the risk of runway incursions at all the airports that we operate from. Several years ago the EDDF airport page was changed from a large format FOLD out taxi diagram (such as ORD and DEN); to its current UNSATISFACTORY one page format. The process of shrinking it down to fit made the plate MUCH LESS useful and now requires reference to the two supplemental airport pages to navigate for both arrival and departure. Having to flip pages while underway and; for example; traveling at high speed on the landing roll and turn off is not at all desirable. We are; after all; trying to eliminate any confusion in the cockpit; not add to it. Good situational awareness requires cockpit access to good tools; and the EDDF airport page is a very poor tool. Just to illustrate. Look at today's airport page and try to comply with the following typical tower instructions issued as the runway is exited. Scenario = landing RWY 25L: 'Flight 123 turn right on Taxiway C. hold short of Golf'. Try to find C and G referring to the EDDF airport page. Please note a similar situation happened at LHR with the airport page; but in my opinion the EDDF case is more DEFICIENT. In the interest of FLIGHT SAFETY I urge you in the strongest terms to restore a proper LARGE- foldout airport page at EDDF as soon as possible.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.