Fraport Traffic Figures - March and 1st Quarter 2012: Frankfurt Airport Reports Rising Passenger Numbers in the First Quarter of 2012

FRANKFURT, Germany, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

New Monthly Record Set in March/Cargo Still in Decline

Some 12.2 million passengers passed through Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in the first three months of 2012, representing a 3.5 percent increase compared to the same period of the previous year.  For the month of March 2012, a year-on-year increase of 4.1 percent was achieved compared to the same month last year.  Approximately 4.5 million passengers traveled through FRA in March 2012, thus exceeding the previous monthly record set in March 2007 by more than 50,000 passengers.

Cargo volume dropped 12.2 percent in the first three months of this year.  In March 2012, cargo tonnage shrank by 11 percent year-on-year to 180,332 metric tons.  The decline in cargo volume at FRA was due to the uncertainties in the global economy and the night flight curfew.

As a result of strike-related flight cancellations, aircraft movements shrank by 1.7 percent to 112,448 takeoffs and landings in the first quarter of 2012.  In March 2012, aircraft movements recorded a year-on-year decline of 1.2 percent to 40,405 takeoffs and landings.

Accumulated takeoff weights (MTOWs) amounted to 6.7 million metric tons in the first three months of the year, down 1.8 percent.  In March 2012, MTOWs contracted by 1.5 percent year-on-year to 2.4 million metric tons.

Across all Group airports, Fraport welcomed more than 17.5 million passengers from January to March 2012 - a 3.9 percent increase on the previous year.  In March 2012, 6.5 million passengers passed through the Fraport Group's majority owned airports in Frankfurt, Antalya (Turkey), Burgas and Varna (Bulgaria) as well as Lima (Peru).  This represents a gain of 2.9 percent compared to March 2011.  Cargo volume throughout the Group shrank by 10.9 percent to 546,509 metric tons in the first quarter.  With 165,695 takeoffs and landings, aircraft movements remained almost unchanged.

Peru's Lima Airport (LIM) handled approximately 3.1 million passengers from January to March, up 11.2 percent.  With 2.1 million passengers, Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera registered a 2.5 percent decline from January to March 2012, as passenger figures saw a strong boost in the same period of the previous year.  On the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, traffic surged at Burgas Airport (BOJ) by 96.5 percent to 57,731 passengers in the first quarter of 2012.  This rise can be attributed partially to the diversion of traffic from Varna Airport (VAR), which was temporarily closed for reconstruction work from October 15, 2011 to February 28, 2012.  After its reopening, VAR recorded a total of 14,862 passengers in March.

Frankfurt Airport is the first airport to be carbon accredited under the European-initiated ACA program:  (http://www.airportcarbonaccreditation.org):  

Frankfurt Airport's Traffic Figures - March 2012

                                      Change [2]                Change [2] 
                                       March 12/  Jan. - March Jan. - March
                           March 2012  March 11       2012      2012/2011
    Passengers [1]          4,503,381     4.1 %     12,179,971     3.5 %
    Airfreight [1]
    in metric tons            180,332   -11,0 %        476,777   -12.2 %
    Airmail [1]
    in metric tons              7,004     1.1 %         19,929     3.5 %
    Aircraft Movements         40,405    -1.2 %        112,448    -1.7 %
    MTOWs
    in metric tons          2,397,000    -1.5 %      6,721,072    -1.8 %
    Punctuality
    share of punctual
    arrivals
    and departures in
    percent                      86.7                     83.1

1. Total traffic (arrivals + departures + transit)

2. Change over previous year

Fraport Group - Traffic Figures for March 2012

                                             Cargo in metric
                    Passengers[1]   Change    tons abs. (+
    Airports          absolute       in %       airmail)
    Frankfurt (FRA)     4,502,825     4.1        183,950
    Antalya (AYT)         917,255   -10.7            n.a.
    Burgas (BOJ)           17,990    71.0            123
    Lima (LIM)[2]       1,063,356    12.2         20,399
    Varna (VAR)            14,862   -43.6              2
    Fraport Group       6,516,288     2.9        204,474

    (table continued)    
                        Change      Aircraft Movements     Change
    Airports             in %            Absolute           in %
    Frankfurt (FRA)     -10.9            40,405             -1.2
    Antalya (AYT)         n.a.            6,952             -7.8
    Burgas (BOJ)        174.8               352             11.0
    Lima (LIM)[2]        -1.0            12,028              7.7
    Varna (VAR)         -25.5               284            -26.4
    Fraport Group       -10.0            60,021             -0.5

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:  r.payne@fraport.de; Internet: http://www.fraport.com