Fraport traffic figures – March and 1st Quarter 2011: Special effects and international instability

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.

Traffic Data Frankfurt Airport
Traffic Data Fraport Group