GERMANY. Frankfurt Airport handled 4.03 million passengers in March, a -9.2% drop year-on-year, parent company Fraport revealed today.
Fraport commented: “The global economic crisis continues to have a firm grip on international air transportation. However, Frankfurt Airport’s percentage change in passenger figures in March compared to February 2009 did not worsen.”
In February (negatively affected by being one day shorter this year) the airport posted a -9.8% year-on year drop. The comparison between March 2009 and the same month a year earlier was also hit by Easter falling in April this year instead of March as in 2008.
Aircraft movements slipped by -3.2% in March (compared with a like-for-like -6.1% fall in February allowing for the Leap Year effect).
Cumulative figures for the first quarter of 2009 show a -10.9% fall in passengers to 10.9 million passengers. Once the 2009 Easter month of April is reported, a more accurate picture of the extent of this year’s decline will become apparent.
In related news, Fraport’s majority-owned airports continued to report positive results in March. Antalya Airport on the Turkish Riviera saw passenger traffic rise by +11% and Lima Airport in Peru posted a +1.8% gain.
On Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, traffic at Varna Airport increased by +163% (from a very small base) while that at Burgas Airport gained +1.7%.
The successful results of these foreign operations enabled Fraport Group’s airports to register a “correspondingly moderate” -6.3% dip in passenger traffic for the month.
The cumulative first quarter 2009 figures also reflect the positive influence of Fraport’s foreign airports: Antalya reported a passenger surge of +12.8%; Lima gained +5.4%; Burgas jumped by +30.5% and Vargas rose +14.2%.
MORE STORIES ON FRAPORT
Frankfurt Airport posts -9.8% like-for-like fall in February passenger traffic – 11/03/09
Retail & Properties division buoys Fraport Group with robust revenue rise in 2008 – 05/03/09
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