First Half 2003: Airfreight and Aircraft Movements Develop Positively at Frankfurt Airport, Passenger Figures Almost the Same As in 2002
31.07.2003, 10:32
FRANKFURT (Germany) 31. 7. 2003 (ots/PROTEXT) - FRA RemainsNumber One Intercontinental Hub - Positive Summer Trend -Frankfurt- Hahn Airport Records Double-digit Growth
Almost 22.5 million passengers traveled through Fraport AG'shomebase Frankfurt Airport (FRA) during the first six months of2003, only a 2.1-percent decline over the same period in 2002.The weak global economy, the Iraq war and the SARS infectiousdisease were the main reasons for this drop. In contrast, FRA'sairfreight tonnage grew during the first six months of 2003 -almost 798,600 metric tons of air cargo and airmail were handledor 2.2 percent more than last year. The number of aircraftmovements also increased by 1.4 percent to over 225,600 take-offs and landings.
At Germany's biggest airport (FRA), wide-body jets accountedfor 24.3 percent of all aircraft taking off and landing. Twothirds of all wide-body aircraft coming to Germany land atFrankfurt Airport. Unchanged, traffic at Frankfurt Airportaccounted for 70 percent of all intercontinental flights fromGermany during the first six months of 2003. Thus, FrankfurtAirport expects increasing traffic figures for the second halfof 2003 and for the current high season in particular.
Groupwide (the Fraport Group comprises six airports:Frankfurt/Main (Germany), Antalya (Turkey), Frankfurt-Hahn(Germany), Hanover (Germany), Lima (Peru) and Saarbrücken(Germany), Fraport AG welcomed almost 30.9 million passengers.Despite a difficult market environment this represents only aminor drop in passengers of 1.6 percent. A total of some 937,500metric tons of air cargo and airmail was handled at the Group'sairports during the first six months of 2003, a 3.6-percentincrease over the corresponding months in 2002. Aircraftmovements declined by 0.2 percent to 342,800 take-offs andlandings.
Traffic at Antalya Airport, which is located in the TurkishRiviera, was heavily affected by the Iraq war and the fact thatmany travelers chose a holiday destination in the western partof the Mediterranean Sea. This resulted in a 16.6-percentdecline in passengers at Antalya Airport to almost 2.9 million.The turbulent development of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, located inthe Hunsrück region west of Frankfurt, still profits by theprevailing boom in services offered by low-cost carriers. Some1.1 million passengers used Frankfurt-Hahn Airport during thefirst half of 2003, representing an increase of 82.1 percent overthe same period last year.
With 2.2 million passengers, Hanover-Langenhagen Airportregistered a 0.8- percent growth in passenger figures during thefirst half of 2003. Saarbrücken Airport experienced a 4.2-percent decline to almost 191,000 passengers. In contrast,passenger traffic at Peru's Lima Airport grew by 2.8 percent to2.1 million compared to last year.
At the end of the first half of 2003 Fraport AG's Groupstatistics were still influenced by the negative impact of theSARS infectious disease, the Iraq war and the prevailingcautiousness of consumers in Germany. This was reinforced by thefact that the start of the summer school break in several highlypopulated German states was shifted from the second half of Juneto the month of July. Thus, the German demand for holiday travelwas deferred to the second half of 2003. During the secondquarter of 2003 alone some 11.9 million passengers usedFrankfurt Airport, a 4.2 percent drop compared to the same periodlast year. With some 393,700 metric tons of air cargo, FRAexperienced a slight 1.2-percent decline in airfreight tonnagewhich was due to the reduction in services in Deutsche Post'sovernight domestic airmail network, which is based at FRA.Without this reduction balanced results would have been reached.The number of aircraft movements registered at FRA during thesecond quarter alone dropped by 1.6 percent to some 113,700. Fraport Group Traffic Figures - First Half 2003 Airports
Passen-
Change Cargo
Change Move-Change
gers(1)
in % (metric
in % mentsin %
abs.
tons)
abs.
abs.Frankfurt
22,463,484 -2.1
798,556 2.2
225,6651.4 Antalya(4)
2,857,814 -16.6
n.a.
n.a.
19,198-17.2 Hahn(3)
1,074,676 82.1
71,951 9.714,604
8.1 Hanover
2,204,301
0.8
7,343 14.942,786
0.7 Lima(2)
2,107,062
2.8
59,370 15.433,133 -3.8 Saarbrücken
190,568 -4.2
233 124.07,393 -0.6Fraport Group 30,897,905 -1.6
937,453 3.6
342,779 -0.2
Source: ACI statistics (1) Passengers (commercial traffic:arrivals + departures + transit) (2) Lima Airport Partnersstatistics (3) Frankfurt-Hahn Cargo (incl. cargo transported bytruck) (4) Only passengers at the international terminal
ots Original Text: Fraport AG Internet:
For More Information, Please Contact: Fraport AG FrankfurtAirport Services Worldwide Attn: Robert A. Payne - ManagerInternational Press 60547 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel.: +49 69690 -78547 Fax: +49 69 690 -60548 E-Mail: r.payne@fraport.de/ Internet: www.fraport.com
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