February 2002: Actual Traffic Figures Confirm Positive Trend at Frankfurt Airport

FRANKFURT/MAIN, March 14 (PROTEXT/ots) - Frankfurt Airport (FRA) continues to experience a clear recovery in passenger traffic demand. Some 3.3 million passengers used Germany's largest airport in February 2002. Although this is a 3.2 percent minus over the same month in 2001, the traffic drop is shrinking continuously. In November and December 2001, Fraport AG still recorded a decline at FRA of 10.9 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. In January 2002, there was still a minus of 6.2 percent. On some days in February, the passenger volume even exceeded the corresponding month in 2001. In February 2002, FRA registered 113,810 metric tons of airfreight. In February 2001, FRA handled about 123,762 metric tons of airfreight or eight percent more. As in the past, the global economic downturn made itself felt here. Nevertheless, stabilization of airfreight traffic is also evident, as the corresponding months of February 2001 and 2000 -- both with an average eight percent growth rate -- create a very high basis of comparison. The number of aircraft movements declined only 0.9 percent to 33,686 in February. However, Maximum Take Off Weights (MTOWs) at FRA dropped by 6.6 percent, as airlines met the economic situation and passenger demand by deploying smaller aircraft. This resulted in a higher seat-load factor, but the average aircraft size still did not reach the old level. The cancellation of some cargo flights due to falling demand also caused the MTOW tonnage to drop more strongly than the number of aircraft movements. Frankfurt Airport's Traffic Figures for February 2002 February 2002 Change (2) Jan. - Feb. Change (2) Feb. 02/ 2002 Jan.- Feb. Feb. 01 02/01 Passengers in millions 3.3 -3.2 % 6.5 -4.7 % Airfreight in thousands of metric tons 113.8 -8.0 % 219.2 -7.7 % Airmail in thousands of metric tons 11.0 0.3 % 23.4 1.2 % Aircraft Movements (1) in thousands 33.7 -0.9 % 69.5 -1.7 % MTOWs in thousands of metric tons 1,781.1 -6.6 % 3,701.6 -6.3 % Punctuality share of punctual arrivals and departures in percent 75.6 76.9 (1) Excluding military flights (2) Rate of change based on unrounded numbers ots Original Text Service: Fraport AG For More Information, Please Contact: Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide Attn: Robert A. Payne - Manager International Press 60547 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel.: +49 69 690 -78547 (with voice mailbox) Fax: +49 69 690 -60548 E-mail: r.payne@fraport.de Internet: www.fraport.com (click on "Press Lounge") Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. PROTEXT