Fraport Traffic Figures – March 2024: Passenger Growth in Frankfurt Impacted by Strikes
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed some 4.6 million passengers in March 2024, marking an increase of 7.8 percent year-on-year. However, this growth was impacted by strikes that led to the cancellation of about 2,200 flights, disrupting the travel plans of almost 300,000 passengers.
Impact of Strikes on Passenger Traffic
Despite the strikes, Frankfurt Airport saw traffic increase by 7.8 percent year-on-year in the reporting month. This growth was mainly attributable to the early timing of the Easter holidays, occurring in March this year rather than April. However, passenger numbers in the reporting month were still about 17.6 percent below the level seen in March 2019, before the pandemic.
Cargo Volumes and Aircraft Movements
Cargo volumes in Frankfurt (comprising airfreight and airmail) continued their positive trend in March 2024, rising by 6.3 percent year-on-year to 178,898 metric tons. Aircraft movements climbed by 5.7 percent year-on-year to 33,969 takeoffs and landings. Likewise, accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) grew by 5.8 percent year-on-year to around 2.2 million metric tons.
Traffic Growth at Fraport’s Group Airports Worldwide
The majority of Fraport’s Group airports worldwide also recorded traffic growth in March 2024. Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia achieved yet another significant gain, with passenger numbers soaring by 22.7 percent year-on-year to 96,440 travelers. Total traffic at the two Brazilian airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) slipped by 4.4 percent to around 1.0 million passengers. At Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru, traffic surged by 19.1 percent to about 1.9 million passengers in March. Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports welcomed a total of 820,438 passengers, up 12.2 percent.
The two Bulgarian airports of Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR), combined, registered a 28.9 percent decline to 73,501 passengers in the month under review. Meanwhile, passenger numbers at Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera advanced by a substantial 23.9 percent year-on-year to about 1.3 million travelers.
Fraport Traffic Figures – March 2024: Conclusion
Total traffic at the airports actively managed by the Fraport Group grew by 10.3 percent year-on-year to approximately 9.8 million passengers in March 2024, demonstrating resilience and growth despite the challenges posed by the strikes.
