GERMANY. Frankfurt Airport handled more than 69.5 million passengers in 2018, a 7.8% increase year-on-year and a new annual high. The strong growth was the result of new destinations launched from Frankfurt and from airlines increasing flight frequencies.
Fraport AG Executive Board Chairman Stefan Schulte said: “The previous year has proved once again that there continues to be great demand for flying. In Frankfurt, we have achieved the highest absolute passenger growth in our history. This underscores Frankfurt Airport’s position as one of Europe’s leading aviation hubs.
“At the same time, the extraordinary growth in air traffic overall has caused major challenges for us and the entire aviation sector. Together with our partners, we are taking efforts to restore and enhance punctuality and reliability in air traffic.”
Airports in Fraport’s international portfolio also reported healthy growth in the year. CEO Schulte noted: “In addition to Frankfurt, most of our Group airports worldwide achieved new passenger records last year. We continue to invest in the airports of our international portfolio, ensuring their long-term development. To create additional capacity, we are currently carrying out major expansion projects, particularly in Greece, Brazil and Peru.”
In Slovenia, Ljubljana Airport posted a 7.7% traffic increase to over 1.8 million passengers in 2018. Combined traffic at the two Brazilian airports of Fortaleza and Porto Alegre rose by 7% to 14.9 million passengers. Traffic at the 14 Greek regional airports advanced by 8.9% to almost 29.9 million.
The three busiest gateways in Fraport’s Greek portfolio were Thessaloniki Airport with 6.7 million passengers (7.1%), Rhodes Airport with around 5.6 million passengers (5%), and Corfu Airport where traffic soared by 15.3% to nearly 3.4 million passengers.
Lima Airport in Peru welcomed more than 22.1 million passengers in 2018, representing an increase of 7.3%. On the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the Twin Star airports of Varna and Burgas closed the year with combined traffic growth of 12.2% to about 5.6 million passengers.
Antalya Airport in Turkey saw traffic advance by 22.5% to almost 32.3 million passengers. St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport served more than 18.1 million passengers, an increase of 12.4%. Xi’an Airport in China maintained its growth, with traffic climbing by 6.7% to 44.7 million passengers.
