FRANKFURT, Germany, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

- Special Effects and International Instability Dampen March Traffic Growth at FRA

- Fraport Group Records Continuing Dynamic Growth

Frankfurt Airport welcomed about 11.8 million passengers in the first quarter of 2011 - up 3.7 percent year-on-year. Germany's largest aviation gateway also handled more than 540,000 metric tons of airfreight from January to March 2011 - a 3.5 percent jump compared to the first quarter of 2010. Aircraft movements climbed by 5.2 percent to more than 114,000 takeoffs and landings. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) increased by 5.9 percent to more than 6.8 million metric tons from January to March 2011.

March 2011 contributed only partially to FRA's traffic growth. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) of more than 2.4 million metric tons in the reporting month represented a new record March figure (up 3.4 percent) and aircraft movements climbed to about 40,900 takeoffs and landings (up 2.0 percent). In contrast, passenger and airfreight traffic remained virtually unchanged. The slight dip in passenger figures year-on-year can be attributed to Easter 2011 falling completely in April, whereas the majority of last year's Easter traffic occurred during the month of March. Furthermore, instability in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region noticeably affected air transportation - including at FRA, which is by far Germany's largest intercontinental hub. Welcoming 4.3 million passengers in March 2011, FRA registered a 0.9 percent decline. With approximately 203,000 metric tons in the reporting month, FRA reported a slight 0.3 percent slide in airfreight. The catastrophe in Japan, which has led to disruptions in global distribution chains, was the contributing factor here.

Fraport's majority-owned airports recorded stable growth rates in March 2011. Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera registered a 19.3 percent jump in passenger traffic, while Peru's Lima Airport (LIM) achieved a 23.0 percent surge. At the Bulgarian Black Sea holiday airports, Varna (VAR) reported growth of 12.5 percent and Burgas (BOJ) more than 130 percent - a conspicuous large value resulting from the relatively small statistical base for winter flight operations. Total passenger traffic for the Fraport Group's five majority-owned airports advanced by 5.2 percent to 6.3 million in the reporting month. Total figures for the first quarter of 2011 reached 16.9 million passengers - representing average growth of 7.7 percent for the Group. In particular, passenger traffic rose by 14.1 percent at AYT, by 20.9 percent at LIM, and at Bulgaria's VAR and BOJ airports by 10.0 percent and 131.2 percent, respectively.

    Frankfurt Airport's Traffic Figures - March 2011

                          March    Change (2)      Jan-        Change (2)
                           2011     Mar. 11/      March       Jan. - March
                                    Mar. 10       2011          11/10

       Passengers (1)   4,324,061    -0.9 %    11,764,694        3.7 %

      Airfreight (1)      202,605    -0.3 %       542,977        3.5 %
       in metric tons

       Airmail (1)          6,929     2.5 %        19,254       -0.3 %
       in metric tons

    Aircraft Movements     40,904     2.0 %       114,370        5.2 %

          MTOWs
       in metric tons   2,433,038     3.4 %     6,841,152        5.9 %

    Punctuality              79.0                    75.5
    share of punctual
    arrivals and
    departures in percent


    (1) Total traffic (arrivals + departures + transit)
    (2) Change over previous year
    Fraport Group - Traffic Figures for March 2011


                                                Cargo in metric
    Airports         Passengers(1)   Change     tons abs. (+
                       absolute       in %        airmail)

    Frankfurt        4,323,617       -0.9        206,536
    (FRA)

    Antalya (AYT)    1,026,844       19.3            n.a.

    Burgas (BOJ)        10,518      133.3             45

    Lima (LIM)2        953,651       23.0         20,614

    Varna (VAR)         26,359       12.5              3

    Fraport Group    6,340,989        5.2        227,197


    (table continues)


    Airports                      Aircraft
                        Change    Movements        Change
                          in %    absolute         in %

    Frankfurt            -0.2       40,904          2.0
    (FRA)

    Antalya (AYT)         n.a.       7,538         16.9

    Burgas (BOJ)        -88.2          317        -17.7

    Lima (LIM)(2)         8.8       11,170         14.7

    Varna (VAR)         -46.5          386        -14.6

    Fraport Group         0.4       60,315          5.6


    (1) Passengers (commercial traffic: arrivals + departures + transit)
    (2) Figures provided by LIM

For Further Information, Please Contact: Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, Robert A. Payne, B.A.A. - Senior Mgr. International Press & PR International Spokesman, Press Office (Dept. UKM-PS), Corporate Communications, 60547 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Tel.: +49-69-690-78547; E-mail: [email protected]; Internet: http://www.fraport.com

SOURCE Fraport AG