FRANKFURT, Germany, 13 March 2014. The positive growth trend for passenger and cargo traffic continues to advance at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), which welcomed roughly 3.7 million passengers in February 2014. This figure signifies a 1.8 percent increase year-on-year.
Cargo throughput (airfreight and airmail) grew by 1.9 percent to 159,249 metric tons. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) climbed by 0.9 percent to more than 2 million metric tons. Aircraft movements declined slightly by 0.6 percent to 33,467 takeoffs and landings. Traffic development in February 2014 was influenced partly by opposing special and low-base effects. During the same month in 2013, FRA experienced many weather-related flight cancellations, while this year a strike by security personnel on February 21 led to extensive disruptions in passenger handling procedures.
Cumulative passenger figures at FRA for the January-to-February 2014 period rose by 2.7 percent year-on-year. During the first two months of 2014, Frankfurt Airport's cargo tonnage grew by 4.5 percent, takeoffs and landings climbed by 0.3 percent, and MTOWs increased by 1.8 percent.
Fraport's majority-owned Group airports continued their growth path in February 2014. Serving nearly 1.2 million passengers, Peru's Lima Airport (LIM) registered a 3.7 percent rise in traffic compared to the same month last year. Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) airports on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast together received 27,852 passengers - a gain of 7.2 percent.
In February 2014, more than 2.1 million passengers used Xi'an Airport (XIY) in northwestern China, an increase of 7.4 percent year-on-year. With 752,701 passengers, Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia, recorded double-digit growth of 17.3 percent. Welcoming 646,947 passengers, Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera grew by 3.1 percent year-on-year. Hanover Airport (HAJ) in the German federal state of Lower Saxony received 274,956 passengers, a dip of 1.7 percent.
Photos courtesy Fraport AG.
