Fraport Traffic Figures - April 2015: Frankfurt Airport Achieves Strong Passenger Growth
Frankfurt (ots)
- Cross-reference: Fraport Traffic Figures - April 2015 are available at: http://www.presseportal.de/meldung/3021005 -
FRA Sets New April Record with Over 5 Million Passengers - Aircraft Movements also on the Rise - Double-digit Growth at Group Airports in Ljubljana and Xi'an
With more than 5 million passenger served in April 2015, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) saw the busiest April month in its history. Growth was driven by high demand for destinations in the Far East, as well as by a strong increase in domestic traffic. The high passenger growth rate of 7.5 percent was attributable to the non-recurrence of a pilot strike in April 2014. When taking into account this non-recurring event as well as the different timing of the Easter holiday season, passenger traffic at FRA grew at an underlying rate of approximately 2.5 percent. Cargo (airfreight + airmail) throughput recorded a slight increase in the reporting month, rising by 0.8 percent year-on-year to 173,274 metric tons.
Contrary to the trend of previous months, the number of aircraft movements increased in April 2015, climbing by 5.9 percent year-on-year to 39,858 takeoffs and landings. Adjusting for the non-recurrence of last year's pilot strike, aircraft movements recorded underlying growth of approximately 0.3 percent. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOW) continued the positive growth trend of previous months. Expanding by 7.7 percent year-on-year to 2,476,798 metric tons, MTOW even set a new record in April 2015, exceeding the previous record of April 2011.
The airports in Fraport's international portfolio reported varying traffic results, with overall positive growth in April 2015. Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia's capital city welcomed 112,310 passengers in the reporting month - posting a double-digit increase of 13.3 percent on the previous year. In Peru, Lima Airport (LIM) also recorded positive passenger growth, serving a total of 1,280,540 passengers (up 7.6 percent). At Fraport's two Twinstar airports on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast - Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) - combined passenger numbers declined by 13.1 percent to 51,542 passengers, while traffic at Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera dropped by 7.4 percent to 1,603,832 passengers. This was partly due to a decrease in the number of Russian passengers as a result of the weak ruble. The devaluation of the Russian currency also affected Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, where traffic contracted by 5.7 percent to 937,061 passengers. Germany's Hanover Airport (HAJ) registered only a slight decline of 0.2 percent to 434,360 passengers. In China, Xi'an Airport (XIY) recorded particularly strong growth, with traffic soaring by 15.9 percent to 2,739,238 passengers.
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Fraport AG - which ranks among the world's leading companies in the global airport business - offers a full range of integrated airport management services and boasts subsidiaries and investments on five continents. In 2014, the Fraport Group generated sales of EUR2.4 billion and profit of about EUR252 million. Last year more than 108.5 million passengers used airports around the world in which Fraport has more than a 50 percent stake.
At its Frankfurt Airport (FRA) home base, Fraport welcomed about 60 million passengers and handled some 2.2 million metric tons of cargo (airfreight and airmail) in 2014. For the current winter timetable, FRA is served by 98 passenger airlines flying to some 250 destinations in 105 countries worldwide. More than half of FRA's destinations are intercontinental (beyond Europe) - underscoring Frankfurt's role as a leading hub in the global air transportation system. In Europe, Frankfurt Airport ranks first in terms of cargo tonnage and is the third-busiest for passenger traffic. With about 55 percent of all passengers using Frankfurt as a connecting hub, FRA also has the highest transfer rate among the major European hubs.
Frankfurt Airport City has become Germany's largest job complex at a single location, employing more than 78,000 people at some 500 companies and organizations on site. Major new real estate developments - such as The Squaire, the Gateway Gardens business park, and the Mönchhof Logistics Park - are creating an exciting new dimension and range of services at the evolving Frankfurt Airport City of the 21st century.
Almost half of Germany's population lives within a 200-kilometer radius of the FRA intermodal travel hub - the largest airport catchment area in Europe. FRA Airport City also serves as a magnet for other companies located throughout the economically vital Frankfurt/Rhine-Main-Neckar region. Thanks to synergies associated with the region's dynamic industries, networked expertise, and outstanding intermodal transportation infrastructure, FRA's world route network enables Hesse's and Germany's export-oriented businesses to flourish in global growth markets.
Frankfurt Airport meets the increasing needs of the export-oriented economies of the State of Hesse as well as Germany as a whole, for optimal connections to growth markets around the globe. Likewise, FRA is a strategic gateway for companies wanting to access the huge European marketplace. Thus, Frankfurt Airport - which is strategically located in the heart of Europe - is one of the most important hubs in the global logistics chain.
Contact:
Fraport AG
Robert A. Payne
International Spokesman
Press Office, Corp.Communications
60547 Frankfurt, Germany
Telephone: +49 69 690-78547
E-mail: r.payne@fraport.de
Internet: www.fraport.com
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