Frankfurt Airport (FRA) experienced a slight increase in passenger traffic during June 2024, welcoming 5.6 million travelers. This represents a 1.4% year-on-year growth, but the increase was influenced by the shifting timing of the Whitsun holiday, which fell in May this year instead of June last year. Despite the growth, passenger numbers in June 2024 remained about 14.4% below the pre-Covid levels observed in 2019.
Looking at the broader picture, during the first half of 2024, approximately 28.8 million passengers traveled through FRA, showcasing a 7.0% increase compared to the same period in 2023. However, these numbers are still 14.5% lower than the corresponding period in 2019. Dr. Stefan Schulte, CEO of Fraport AG, commented on the situation, highlighting the positive growth while acknowledging the challenges. He mentioned that despite numerous strikes at the beginning of the year leading to a shortfall of around 500,000 passengers, the airport remains on track to reach its projected passenger volume of 61 to 65 million for the entire year. However, Dr. Schulte expressed concerns about the recovery in the German aviation market, emphasizing the impact of high location-specific costs imposed by regulators. He pointed out that the German market lags behind Europe in terms of passenger recovery and needs further impetus for growth.
In contrast to the passenger numbers, cargo traffic at Frankfurt, encompassing both airfreight and airmail, exhibited a notable increase of 11.4% year-on-year in June, reaching 178,324 metric tons. Aircraft movements also saw a 1.5% year-on-year increase, totaling 39,475 takeoffs and landings. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) further demonstrated growth, increasing by 2.3% to approximately 2.5 million metric tons.
Moving beyond Frankfurt Airport, Fraport’s international portfolio of airports also experienced a mixed bag of results in June 2024. Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia witnessed a substantial increase of 15.3% year-on-year, reaching 148,159 passengers. Conversely, the Brazilian airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) faced a combined traffic drop of 53.8% to 495,771 passengers. This significant decrease was primarily attributed to the suspension of flight operations at POA following severe flooding in the region. Currently, a limited contingency schedule is in place at Porto Alegre, with a few domestic flights operating from a nearby military base.
In Peru, Lima Airport (LIM) experienced a significant 16.0% year-on-year surge, welcoming around 1.9 million passengers. Within Europe, Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports saw a positive trend with 5.3 million passengers, marking a 5.9% increase year-on-year. However, Bulgaria’s coastal airports, Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR), experienced a 12.5% decrease, totaling 481,635 passengers. Meanwhile, Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera showed an 8.6% increase, serving approximately 4.9 million travelers in June 2024.
Taking the bigger picture, the airports managed by the Fraport Group collectively reported a 2.2% year-on-year increase in total traffic, reaching approximately 18.9 million passengers in June 2024.
