Process for the cryogenic separation of air using an air separation plant, which has a distillation column system with a high-pressure column operated at a high-pressure column pressure level and a low-pressure column operated at a low-pressure column pressure level, the process comprising - compressing the entire air that is fed into the distillation column system first to a starting pressure level, which lies at least 4 and up to 20 bar above the high-pressure column pressure level, - subjecting part of the air that is compressed to the starting pressure level as a throttle stream to a first pressure increase, at a first temperature level lying above 0°C, and subsequently to two further pressure increases, at temperature levels lying below the first temperature level, and subsequently expanding it into the high-pressure column by using a throttle valve, - taking a cryogenic, oxygen-rich liquid from the low-pressure column, subjecting this cryogenic, oxygen-rich liquid in the cryogenic state to a pressure increase, warming and evaporating it and discharging it from the air separation plant, - a first booster is used for the first pressure increase, driven by using a first expansion machine, in which a further part of the air compressed to the starting pressure level, which is subsequently fed into the low-pressure column, is expanded from the starting pressure level to the low-pressure column pressure level, - a second booster and a third booster are used for the two further pressure increases, through which the air is passed one after the other, the air being fed to the third booster at a temperature level at which it leaves the second booster, - the amounts of air that are respectively passed altogether through the first booster, the second booster and the third booster differ by no more than 10% from one another and no further streams apart from the throttle stream are compressed in the first booster, the second booster and the third booster, - the pressure increase to which the cryogenic, oxygen-rich liquid taken from the low-pressure column is subjected in the cryogenic state is a pressure increase to 6 to 25 bar, - air products are discharged from the air separation plant in a liquid state in a proportion of at most 1%, with respect to the total amount of air fed into the distillation column system, and - the second booster and the third booster are respectively driven by means of expansion machines (7, 8), - in which a further part of the air compressed to the starting pressure level, which has previously been cooled and subsequently fed into the distillation column system, is expanded in parallel. - compressing the entire air that is fed into the distillation column system first to a starting pressure level, which lies at least 4 and up to 20 bar above the high-pressure column pressure level, - subjecting part of the air that is compressed to the starting pressure level as a throttle stream to a first pressure increase, at a first temperature level lying above 0°C, and subsequently to two further pressure increases, at temperature levels lying below the first temperature level, and subsequently expanding it into the high-pressure column by using a throttle valve, - taking a cryogenic, oxygen-rich liquid from the low-pressure column, subjecting this cryogenic, oxygen-rich liquid in the cryogenic state to a pressure increase, warming and evaporating it and discharging it from the air separation plant, - a first booster is used for the first pressure increase, driven by using a first expansion machine, in which a further part of the air compressed to the starting pressure level, which is subsequently fed into the low-pressure column, is expanded from the starting pressure level to the low-pressure column pressure level, - a second booster and a third booster are used for the two further pressure increases, through which the air is passed one after the other, the air being fed to the third booster at a temperature level at which it leaves the second booster, - the amounts of air that are respectively passed altogether through the first booster, the second booster and the third booster differ by no more than 10% from one another and no further streams apart from the throttle stream are compressed in the first booster, the second booster and the third booster, - the pressure increase to which the cryogenic, oxygen-rich liquid taken from the low-pressure column is subjected in the cryogenic state is a pressure increase to 6 to 25 bar, - air products are discharged from the air separation plant in a liquid state in a proportion of at most 1%, with respect to the total amount of air fed into the distillation column system, and - the second booster and the third booster are respectively driven by means of expansion machines (7, 8), - in which a further part of the air compressed to the starting pressure level, which has previously been cooled and subsequently fed into the distillation column system, is expanded in parallel.