Frankfurt Airport in September: Seven Percent More Passengers Than One Year Ago / Even higher growth rate for cargo traffic

Frankfurt / Germany (ots) - Last month a total of 4.7 million passengers passed through FRA, the biggest German airport. In comparison to September 2001, which recorded a drastic worldwide decline in the passenger count following the terrorist attacks in the USA, this is a plus of seven percent.

Significant growth was noticed in almost all traffic regions. European traffic almost reached the passenger count before September of last year. Especially, leisure travel is obviously recovering quickly. A growing number of passengers is recorded for the entire Mediterranean region with Spain being the only exception.

132,000 metric tons of airfreight were handled at Frankfurt Airport in September 2002, a 9.4 percent increase in comparison to September 2001. In addition, 10,900 metric tons of airmail were handled in September - 3.9 percent more than in the same month last year. Aircraft movements also grew last month. In total, Frankfurt Airport registered 40,000 takeoffs and landings (plus 1.5 percent).

The cumulated passenger figures of Frankfurt Airport from January to the end of September 2002 show a minus of only three percent in comparison to the same period in 2001. Takeoffs and landings were only 0.8 percent below the corresponding figures of 2001. Airfreight tonnage is up by 0.3 percent and airmail up by 0.2 percent.

Frankfurt Airport's Traffic Figures for September 2002

September 2002 Change(2) Jan.-Sept. Change(2)

2002 Sept. 02/ 2002 Jan.-Sept.

Sept. 01 02/01

Passengers

in millions 4.7 7.0 % 37.0 -3.0 %

Airfreight

in thousands

of metric tons 132.0 9.4 % 1,106.7 0.3 %

Airmail

in thousands

of metric tons 10.9 3.9 % 102.5 0.2 %

Aircraft

Movements(1)

in thousands 40.0 1.5 % 344.2 -0.8 %

MTOWs

in thousands

of metric

tons 2,212.1 0.5 % 18,664.9 -4.3 %

Punctuality

share of

punctual

arrivals

and departures

in percent 73.7 79.5

(1) Excluding military flights

(2) Rate of change based on unrounded numbers