October 2002 - FRA Traffic Figures: Frankfurt Airport Reports Double-digit Growth in Passenger Traffic

Clear 4.4 Percent Increase in Cargo Tonnage; Traffic Figures for November-to-date Give Reason for Optimism

Frankfurt, Germany (ots) - Clearly more passengers - some 4.5 million passengers or a plus of 13.6 percent - used Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in October 2002 compared to the corresponding month last year. Passenger growth in October 2002 was even stronger than the seven-percent increase registered in the previous month of September. Thus, Fraport AG (the company owning and managing Frankfurt Airport) is expecting almost 49 million passengers for the total year 2002.

In particular, intercontinental traffic boosted passenger growth at Frankfurt Airport. As expected, routes to the Middle East and North America achieved the biggest increases, with both growing by more than 40 percent versus October 2001. Traffic to the Far East reached new peak levels. Growth-intensive destinations included China, Hong Kong, India and Japan.

Frankfurt Airport's cargo traffic has also developed positively, with 139,400 metric tons of airfreight handled in October 2002 (plus 4.4 percent). Overall, Fraport AG recorded 40,500 take-offs and landings at FRA in October 2002, a 2.9-percent increase in aircraft movements versus the same period last year. Maximum Take-off Weights (MTOWs) for the reporting month reached over 2.2 million metric tons, 0.9 percent higher than the figure for October 2001.

Because traffic figures during the first two weeks of November 2002 are already clearly better than last year's results, Fraport AG is confident that a sustainable recovery is in progress following the traffic collapse of September 2001.

Frankfurt Airport's Traffic Figures for October 2002

October 2002 Change 2 Jan. - Oct. 2002 Change 2

Oct. 02/ Jan. - Oct.

Oct. 01 02/01

Passengers

in millions 4.5 13.6 % 41.5 -1.4 %

Airfreight

in thousands

of metric

tons 139.4 4.4 % 1,246.1 0.7 %

Airmail

in thousands

of metric

tons 11.9 -3.1 % 114.4 -0.2 %

Aircraft

Movements 1

in

thousands 40.5 2.9 % 384.7 -0.4 %

MTOWs

in

thousands

of metric

tons 2,221.7 0.9 % 20,886.6 -3.7 %

Punctuality

share of

punctual

arrivals

and departures

in percent 68.2 78.3