Frankfurt Airport (FRA) closed the year 2017 with 6.1 percent growth. More than 64.5 million passengers traveled through Germany’s largest aviation hub. European traffic served as the main growth driver, increasing by 7.4 percent, while intercontinental traffic rose by 4.9 percent. FRA’s cargo throughput (airfreight + airmail) advanced by 3.6 percent year-on-year to some 2.2 million metric tons.
Aircraft movements at Frankfurt grew by 2.7 percent to 475,537 takeoffs and landings – attributable to increased flight offerings from the airlines. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) rose by 1.3 percent, surpassing 30 million metric tons in 2017.
Fraport AG’s executive board chairman, Dr. Stefan Schulte, stated: “With more than 64 million passengers served in 2017, Frankfurt Airport achieved a new historic record. After a challenging 2016, we are pleased that demand strengthened in 2017 and travelers could take advantage of the new flight connections at Frankfurt. At the same time, this growth underscores the need for our planned expansion of terminal capacities – the new Pier G in 2020 and Terminal 3 in 2023.”
In December 2017, nearly 4.6 million passengers flew via Frankfurt Airport (up 7.3 percent), surpassing the previous December record of 2016 by about 310,000 passengers. FRA’s cargo throughput declined by 4.5 percent to 180,186 metric tons – due partly to strike-related disruptions in freight handling. In contrast, aircraft movements climbed by 3.6 percent to 35,172 takeoffs and landings. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) also rose by 3.2 percent to some 2.3 million metric tons.
“Looking at our international business, 2017 was also a very successful year. Our Group airports in Ljubljana, Varna and Burgas, St. Petersburg, Lima and Xi’an all posted record figures for annual passenger traffic. The 14 Greek regional airports, which joined the Fraport Group in April 2017, also reported an annual record in combined passenger traffic,” concluded Schulte.
In 2017, Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia received some 1.7 million passengers (up 19.8 percent). Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru’s capital recorded a 9.3 percent rise in traffic to 20.6 million passengers. Combined, the Fraport Twin Star airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) welcomed nearly 5.0 million passengers, up 8.4 percent year-on-year.
Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports closed 2017 with a combined total of about 27.6 million passengers, representing a rise of 10.3 percent. The busiest airports included: Kavala (KVA), where traffic surged by 22.8 percent to 337,963 passengers; Kos (KGS), posting a gain of 20.7 percent to some 2.3 million passengers; and Mykonos (JMK) which advanced by 18.6 percent to about 1.2 million passengers.
Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera performed well again in 2017 – following a difficult year in 2016 – with a significant 38.5 percent traffic gain to 26.3 million passengers. In northern Germany, Hanover Airport (HAJ) also registered a rise of 8.5 percent to 5.9 million passengers. Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia, reported significant double-digit growth of 21.6 percent to 16.1 million passengers, following a slight drop in 2016. China’s Xi’an Airport (XIY) served 41.9 million passengers, up 13.1 percent year-on-year.