Fraport Traffic Figures – December & Full Year 2014: Frankfurt Airport Reports Rising Passenger and Cargo Volumes Despite Several Strikes

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Trend Towards Larger Aircraft and Better Capacity Utilization Continues – Airports in Fraport’s International Portfolio Record Strong Traffic Growth

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) achieved a new record in 2014 as well.   Some 59.57 million passengers passed through Germany’s largest aviation hub in 2014, an increase of 2.6 percent year-on-year.  Passenger growth at Fraport AG’s home base FRA would have been even greater – with an underlying increase of around 3.9 percent to about 60.3 million passengers – when taking into account the high number of mainly strike-related flight cancellations and all other extraordinary cancellations, including due to adverse weather.

Cargo volumes (airfreight + airmail) at Frankfurt Airport also advanced in 2014, rising by 1.7 percent to about 2.2 million metric tons by year-end.  Aircraft movements edged down by 0.8 percent to about 469,000 takeoffs and landings, reflecting the ongoing trend towards larger aircraft and better capacity utilization along with higher passenger and cargo volumes.  Simultaneously, accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) increased by 1.9 percent to about 29 million metric tons.

In the reporting month of December 2014, FRA served around 4 million passengers. This represents a 2 percent decrease year-on-year, resulting from strike and weather-related flight cancellations.  Aircraft movements also declined by 5.2 percent in December 2014 to 32,954 takeoffs and landings, while accumulated MTOWs contracted 1.1 percent to 2.1 million metric tons. Cargo volumes also slipped by 1.4 percent year-on-year, reaching a total of 176,241 metric tons.

Commenting on the overall positive results reached in 2014, Fraport’s executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte said: “We are delighted that – despite the strikes – we were clearly able to maintain the expected growth range forecast for FRA in 2014.  On behalf of the entire executive board, I would like to extend special thanks to all of our Fraport employees.  Even on the busiest days in 2014 – when traffic frequently exceeded the 200,000 level – our employees showed excellent team performance and did their utmost to provide the best possible travel experience to our passengers.”

Looking in the future, Schulte emphasized: “The growth trend experienced in 2014 confirms our forecasts for the coming years.  This further underscores why we need a third new passenger terminal here at Frankfurt Airport.  If the current trend continues, with growth rates ranging from two to three percent, in the coming years, the existing terminals will reach their capacity limits by 2021 at the latest.  We will need the new Terminal 3 to ensure that we can continue delivering excellent service quality to our passengers, also with modern and trendsetting ambiance in the future.”

Across the Group, the airports in Fraport’s international portfolio also recorded positive traffic growth in 2014.  Slovenia’s capital city airport of Ljubljana (LJU) – which Fraport acquired in September 2014 – welcomed 1.3 million passengers and reported growth of 3.1 percent year-on-year.  With some 15.7 million passengers, Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru recorded a 5 percent jump in passenger traffic compared to 2013.  The Fraport Twinstar airports of Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR) on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast saw traffic rise by 3.1 percent to 3.9 million passengers.   Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera served some 28 million passengers in 2014 – a 4.7 percent increase compared to the previous year.  At St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport (LED) in Russia, passenger traffic surged by 11 percent to 14.3 million in 2014.  In northern Germany, Hanover Airport (HAJ) recorded 1.1 percent grow to almost 5.3 million passengers.  In China, Xi’an Airport (XIY) served some 29.2 million passengers in 2014, achieving double-digit growth of 12 percent versus the previous year.  Also in the month of December 2014, all of Fraport’s international airports recorded traffic growth, thus contributing to the Group’s overall positive result.

Schulte explained that the dynamic performance of Fraport’s international portfolio shows the company is following the right path:  “Our strong portfolio, which has been performing well for many years now, will further benefit from the recent addition of Ljubljana Airport in Slovenia and U.S.-based Airmall.”

15.01.2015

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