Passenger numbers in 2024 were still 12.7 percent below the level seen in pre-pandemic 2019.

Fraport Group has released figures for 2024 which show Frankfurt Airport welcomed some 61.6 million passengers in 2024, an increase of 3.7 percent compared to 2023, while Fraport’s airports worldwide largely reported strong passenger growth.

Germany’s largest airport saw a particularly strong demand for medium-haul flights to warm-weather destinations, including Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy.

In the long-haul market, North American routes remained popular, while flights to the Far East and South America also showed dynamic growth.

A total of 99 airlines offered flights from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to 311 destinations in 98 countries overall in 2024.

“With its large number of flight connections, Frankfurt Airport provides a positive and important locational advantage for the German economy,” said Fraport CEO Dr. Stefan Schulte, CEO of Fraport, emphasising the economic importance of air traffic.

Schulte added: “However, due to the sharp rise in government-induced location costs, presently reaching extremely high levels, we are increasingly at risk of losing this advantage of excellent hub connectivity for our country’s economy. Airlines are investing in locations with lower government-imposed fees, and we are feeling this effect here in Frankfurt. Our Group airports outside Germany are faring much better, with most of them growing faster than Frankfurt and many of them even setting new passenger records.”

Cargo volumes in Frankfurt (comprising airfreight and airmail) grew by 6.2 percent year-on-year to a total of 2.1 million metric tons in 2024.

The number of aircraft movements climbed by 2.4 percent to 440,853 takeoffs and landings. Likewise, total maximum takeoff weights (or MTOWs) increased by 2.8 percent to approximately 27.8 million metric tons.

Passengers and cargo dips in December 2024

In the month of December 2024, passenger numbers at FRA slipped by 1.1 percent year-on-year to roughly 4.5 million travelers.

Cargo throughput also edged down by 1.2 percent to 169,135 metric tons.

The Brazilian airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA), combined, registered about 9.5 million passengers in 2024.

Aircraft movement decreased slightly by 0.7 percent to 33,304 takeoffs and landings, while MTOWs (Maximum Takeoff Weight) remained almost level at about 2.2 million metric tons, down 0.1 percent.

While this figure represents a 27.1 percent drop from 2023, the decrease was mainly attributed to the shutdown of operations at Porto Alegre between May 3 and October 20 following the severe flooding in the region.

Since December 18, POA has been fully operational again, including for international flights.

In December, approximately 1.0 million passengers used the two Brazilian airports, still representing a decline of 11.2 percent compared to December 2023.

International passenger growth in 2024

Most of the airports in Fraport’s global network showed positive performance throughout 2024, with some of them achieving noticeable growth rates.

In Slovenia, Ljubljana Airport (LJU) saw passenger numbers in 2024 increase by 13.3 percent year-on-year to 1.4 million. In December, LJU served a total of 85,793 passengers (down 1.8 percent).

Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru registered traffic growth of 15.2 percent in 2024, setting a new passenger record with about 24.5 million travelers. In December, LIM welcomed roughly 2.1 million passengers, an increase of 6.1 percent.

Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports also reached a new all-time high in passenger traffic for the full year 2024.

Total passenger numbers at the Greek gateways grew by 6.4 percent to around 36.0 million in the year under review. In December, Fraport’s Greek airports registered a total of 805,056 passengers, up 6.7 percent year-on-year.

The two Bulgarian airports, serving the coastal towns of Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR), saw traffic dip by 8.7 percent in 2024, totaling 3.4 million passengers. In December, combined traffic at BOJ and VAR declined by 13.6 percent to 78,206 passengers.

In contrast, Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera gained 6.5 percent year-on-year in passenger traffic, serving around 38.0 million travelers during 2024. In December, traffic at AYT remained stable at about 1.0 million passengers (up 0.4 percent).

The total number of passengers at all airports actively managed by Fraport increased by 3.7 percent year-on-year to 174.5 million in 2024. In the month of December, total traffic at the Fraport Group airports remained almost at the same level as in December 2023, with approximately 9.6 million passengers (down 0.2 percent).

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