Airfreight Also Records New Monthly Peak

After this week's events, it might take a while for one of Germany's most popular airports to make a run on a record just set but Frankfurt Airport (FRA) recorded a new record passenger count in July. A total of 5,085,258 passengers used the international hub, 1.7 percent more than in July 2005. The previous record dates August 2005 and was now surpassed by 33,400 passengers. Another record was set regarding the number of aircraft movements. 43,601 takeoff and landings surpass the previous record dated July 2005 by 141 (plus 0.3 percent).

European traffic once again generated strong growth. Specific connections, for example to and from Paris and Rome, still profited from the Football World Cup games. The Canary Islands were the primary leisure destination. International traffic picked up significantly due to the Asian market with Chinese (plus 24.4 percent) and Indian destinations (plus 7.9 percent).

New monthly records were recorded for freight handling and accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs). FRA handled 173,360 metric tons airfreight, a 9.5 percent rise compared to July 2005 despite less freight usually being handled during the summer season. The increase was effected by the new airfreight connections to and from Asia with the start of the summer timetable.

Flights to the Far East climbed by 12.6 percent and to the Near East by 15.5 percent. North America tonnage recorded double-digit growth in July (plus 12.7 percent) despite a weakening US economy.

Accumulated maximum takeoff weights improved by 0.1 percent over the previous year to 2,499,156 metric tons. Only airmail traffic declined by a slight 0.5 percent to 7,349 metric tons in July.

Compared to July 2005, the Fraport Group's airports achieved 4.4 percent growth in passenger traffic in July 2006 with 7,515,559 passengers. In particular, the passenger count at Antalya Airport (AYT) with 847,321 passengers (plus 29 percent) and Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) with 366,569 passengers (plus 23.9 percent) picked up noticeably. Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru welcomed 563,222 passengers (plus 0.6 percent) and Hanover Airport (HAJ) 604,510 passengers (minus 3.5 percent). Saarbrücken Airport (SCN) registered 42,219 passengers (minus eleven percent). The Group's total cargo tonnage climbed by 7.4 percent to 217,778 metric tons.

FMI: www.fraport.de