March 2002 - FRA Traffic Figures: Recovery in Demand Continues
Frankfurt Airport (ots)
owned and managed by Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide - also recorded a continuing recovery in demand for passenger traffic in March 2002. With a total of 4.0 million passengers in the third month of the year, FRA registered a 3.9 percent decline in passenger traffic compared to the corresponding month in 2001. However, March 2001 was an exceptionally strong month with a growth rate of 5.2 percent over March 2000. Intercontinental traffic continued to decline, while traffic to European destinations in the Mediterranean recorded growth.
Lufthansa (which accounts for about 60 percent of the traffic and is Fraport AG's main customer at FRA) actually reported a 10.6 percent drop in passenger traffic worldwide in March 2002. This also shows that traffic at the Frankfurt hub has not been reduced as much as at other airports.
Although air cargo tonnage still declined - above all because of the weak global economy - by 6.5 percent to 133,830 metric tons, the stabilizing trend seen in the previous month continued into March 2002. March 2001 also showed above average growth in the cargo sector, increasing almost eight percent to 143,605 metric tons.
Decreases are still being recorded in European, Latin American, North American and African traffic, while cargo volume to and from the Far East increased noticeably, especially to China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, and Singapore. Experts have evaluated this Far East development as a positive sign for the beginning of a general change in trend, particularly since all early economic indicators currently point to a rebound in the global economy.
In March 2002, FRA recorded 37,461 takeoffs and landings (aircraft movements), down 3.6 percent from the same month last year. Maximum Takeoff Weights (MTOWs) shrank by 7.9 percent because the airlines used smaller aircraft to adjust to demand and the prevailing economic situation. As a result, the airline seat-load factor increased. The number of freighter flights at FRA continued to decline because of the lack in demand. As a result, MTOW tonnage dropped faster than the number of aircraft movements.
Frankfurt Airport's Traffic Figures for March 2002
March 2002 Change 2 Jan. - March Change 2
March 02/ March 01 2002 Jan. - March 02/01
Passengers
in millions 4.0 -3.9 % 10.5 -4.4 %Airfreight
in thousands of metric tons
133.8 -6.5 % 353.0 -7.3 %Airmail
in thousands of metric tons
12.1 -5.9 % 35.5 -1.4 %Aircraft Movements 1
in thousands
37.5 -3.6 % 106.9 -2.4 %MTOWs
in thousands of metric tons
2,005.8 -7.9 % 5,707.4 -6.9 %Punctuality
share of punctual arrivals
and departures in percent
83.5 79.21 Excluding military flights 2 Rate of change based on unrounded numbers
Contact:
Fraport AG
Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide
Robert A. Payne - Manager International Press
60547 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel. +49/69/690-78547 (with voice mailbox)
Fax +49/69/690-60548
E-mail: r.payne@fraport.de
Internet: www.fraport.com (click on "Press Lounge")