FRA Records Busiest Month Ever for Passenger Traffic - Challenging Framework Conditions Continue

FRANKFURT, Germany, September 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

In August 2013, Fraport AG served nearly 5.8 million passengers at its home base Frankfurt Airport (FRA) - a 3.6 percent rise year-on-year and a new record month in the history of FRA.  Besides market growth, this significant increase resulted from special effects such as strike-related flight cancellations at the end of August 2012.  Also, the number of aircraft movements dropped by 0.6 percent to 42,441, as airlines adjusted the timetable for passenger and cargo flights.  Cargo traffic rose by 1.5 percent to 173,905 metric tons, while accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) grew slightly to nearly 2.6 million metric tons (up 0.1 percent). Thus, FRA achieved a new August record for MTOWs as well as punctuality (86 percent).  

Commenting on the latest traffic figures, Fraport's executive board chairman (CEO) Dr. Stefan Schulte concluded: "We are pleased about the growth in cargo and especially passenger traffic.  I would like to thank our staff for the diligent and hard work in ensuring excellent punctuality rates during the busy summer holiday season.  Without their commitment, Frankfurt Airport would not have been able to reach record traffic levels."  However, Schulte also underscored the challenges facing the company at FRA: "Airlines have consolidated their flight offers in reaction to market uncertainties precipitated by the European debt crisis affecting certain countries.  Furthermore, the aviation tax in Germany has hampered travel demand, creating a disadvantage vis-à-vis European competitors."  For the entire year 2013, Fraport expects the passenger volume at Frankfurt to be similar to last year's figure. The ongoing scheduling for the upcoming 2013/14 winter timetable gives positive indications that the airlines will increase seat capacity via Frankfurt slightly.

August 2013 was also a remarkable month for Fraport's international airport portfolio. More than 12.4 million passengers passed through Fraport's majority-owned airports, an increase of 5.6 percent year-on-year. Peru's Lima Airport (LIM), with a 12.3 percent rise, remains the main growth driver. The Turkish holiday destination Antalya (AYT) served more than 4.1 million passengers, a 6.6 percent increase. Together, the airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast recorded 4.8 percent growth to more than one million passengers.  On August 27, 2013, VAR's new passenger terminal went into service, offering more space and an enhanced travel experience at this holiday gateway to Bulgaria.  A new terminal

is also scheduled to be inaugurated at BOJ in the last quarter of 2013.

    Fraport Traffic Figures
    August 2013

    Traffic Figures - Frankfurt Airport (FRA)

    Total Traffic                Month      yoy DELTA%          YTD           yoy DELTA%
    Passengers [1]            5,799,936      3.6              38,666,610        -0.3
    Cargo (freight+mail in
    t)[2]                       173,905      1.5               1,388,056         0.8
    Aircraft Movements           42,441     -0.6                 315,013        -2.9
    MTOWs (in metric tons)    2,593,238      0.1              18,862,839        -2.9
    Punctuality (in
    percent)                       86.0                             82.8

    Traffic Figures - Fraport Group
    Based on ACI
    definition (Airports                         Cargo (freight+mail)
    Council Intl.)        Passengers [3]                 in t [4]               Movements
                                       yoy
                             Month   DELTA%       Month  yoy DELTA%       Month yoy DELTA%
    Frankfurt (FRA)      5,799,596      3.6     171,306         1.7      42,441       -0.6
    Antalya (AYT)        4,143,331      6.6        n.a.        n.a.      23,987        6.9
    Burgas (BOJ)           720,352      4.7          20       -92.1       4,740        3.9
    Lima (LIM)[6]        1,368,217     12.3      27,132         0.1      13,580        3.2
    Varna (VAR)            331,240      5.0           4       -23.0       2,427        4.7
    Group               12,362,736      5.6     198,462         1.4      87,175        2.3

                                                 Cargo (freight+mail)
    Jan.-Aug. 2013        Passengers [3]                 in t [4]               Movements
                                      yoy
                              YTD   DELTA%         YTD  yoy DELTA%         YTD yoy DELTA%
    Frankfurt (FRA)     38,663,262     -0.3   1,365,656         0.8     315,013       -2.9
    Antalya (AYT)       18,321,708      6.5        n.a.        n.a.     115,430        5.7
    Burgas (BOJ)[5]      2,076,612      4.1       1,519        -8.2      15,001       -1.4
    Lima (LIM)[6]        9,806,986     12.3     178,371         1.3     101,460        4.7
    Varna (VAR)[5]       1,042,474      6.8          22        -5.9       8,705        7.3
    Group               69,911,042      3.3   1,545,569         0.8     555,609        0.3

    [1] Commerical and non-commercial traffic   [3] Passengers - commercial traffic only
    [2] Cargo including transit (in metric tons)[4] Cargo excluding transit (in metric
                                                    tons)
                                                [5] Varna was closed from 15.10.2011 to
                                                    28.02.12.
                                                    Burgas handled all VAR flights during
                                                    this period.
                                                [6] Figures provided by LIM

For Further Information, Please Contact:

Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide

Robert A. Payne - International Spokesman; Head of International Press & External Activities Team, Press Office (UKM-PS), Corporate Communications, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany; Tel.: +49-69-690-78547; E-mail: [email protected]; Internet: http://www.fraport.com;  

SOURCE Fraport AG