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Kickoff of the Fall Holiday Season at Frankfurt Airport

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Kickoff of the Fall Holiday Season at Frankfurt Airport

The fall travel season is just around the corner: school holidays will start next Friday in Hesse and several other German states. Despite the ongoing global pandemic, many holiday destinations can still be safely and easily reached from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) while complying with current requirements. To let passengers embark on their trips without worrying, in recent months the airport has worked closely with other institutions to implement a comprehensive range of safeguards against contagion.

Social distancing and hygiene

In addition to requiring everyone to wear a face covering at all times inside the terminal buildings, general hygiene and social distancing rules are enforced. Floor markings, signs, regular PA announcements, and frequently patrolling airport staff remind them to maintain a distance of one-and-a-half meters from other people, also in the seating and waiting areas. “The safety of passengers and personnel is our top priority,” stresses Thomas Kirner, who is responsible for passenger services at Fraport, the airport’s operator. “We have honed these practices over the last few months and they are now very effective.”

A passenger survey carried out by GIM, a market research company, has revealed that about 90% of travelers are satisfied with FRA’s enhanced protection measures and enforced hygiene. FRA was also the first airport to receive a “Safe from Covid-19” quality seal from TÜV Hesse, the technical inspection association of the state of Hesse. “It naturally helps that passengers and employees are responding to the situation responsibly and appropriately protecting themselves,” stresses Kirner.

Disposable facemasks, disinfectant for hand luggage, and other travel items are available from shops and vending machines in Terminal 1 (Concourse B, Departures).

Advice for getting ready to travel

Many of the standard tips for getting ready to travel still apply: for example, taking advantage of online check-in and carrying no more than a single item of hand luggage into the aircraft cabin. Passengers can avoid unpleasant surprises at the security checkpoint by finding out in advance what may be taken on board and what should be placed in a checked bag. Last-minute travelers can find a complete list of all scheduled departures on the airport’s website.

Travelers can use an online booking platform to reserve a parking space near the terminal before leaving home―even if it’s only for a single day. Driving into and exiting from the parking facility is extremely easy: it’s only necessary to contactlessly scan a QR code received by email.

Current regulations and testing

Both before and during their trips, Germany-based vacationers are urged to consult the websites of the Robert Koch Institute (the German federal agency for disease control and prevention) and the German Federal Foreign Office for information on current entry restrictions for Germany and other countries, quarantine and testing requirements, and high-risk areas. There are two Covid-19 testing stations within easy walking distance: on the pedestrian bridge between Terminal 1 and the long-distance train station. The airport medical center also performs checkups, PCR swab tests, and antibody testing on an appointment basis.

Those who decide to stay home are invited to immerse themselves in the world of the airport and experience its operations up close by going on a narrated tour of the apron. The Visitor’s Terrace at Terminal 2 will unfortunately remain closed until further notice.

Media Contact:

Jana Schäfer
Corporate Communications
Media Relations
Telephone +49 69 690-30714

Fraport traffic figures – July 2020: Passenger traffic remains low in Frankfurt and at the Group’s airports worldwide

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In July 2020, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) served a total of 1,318,502 passengers, representing an 80.9 percent decline year-on-year. During the January-to-July period, accumulated passenger traffic at FRA decreased by 66.7 percent. Travel restrictions and lower passenger demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic were still the main factors behind this trend. After the 90.9 percent passenger drop in June 2020, traffic at FRA continued to rebound slightly in July due to rising tourism demand. This was helped by the lifting of government travel restrictions for countries within the European Union and the start of the holiday season. However, Frankfurt Airport’s traditionally strong intercontinental traffic still experienced very weak performance in the reporting month.

Continuing the slide in aircraft movements, FRA reported 15,372 takeoffs and landings in July 2020 (down 67.4 percent). Accumulated maximum takeoff weights or MTOWs contracted by 65.6 percent to 1,003,698 metric tons. Cargo throughput, comprising airfreight and airmail, fell by 15.5 percent to 150,959 metric tons – still impacted by the reduced availability of capacity for belly freight (shipped on passenger flights).

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The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were also felt by the airports in Fraport’s international portfolio. Although all of the Group’s airports were operating passenger flights again by the month of July, some were still subject to comprehensive travel restrictions. At Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport (LJU), traffic plummeted by 89.9 percent to 20,992 passengers year-on-year. In Brazil, the airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) reported a total drop of 84.2 percent to 221,659 passengers. Peru’s Lima Airport, which continued to be closed to international flights, received only 69,319 passengers – representing a 96.7 percent decline year-on-year.

Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports served a total of some 1.3 million passengers in July 2020, down 75.1 percent. The Bulgarian Twin Star airports of Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR) registered a combined decrease of 81.9 percent to 226,011 passengers. Traffic at Antalya Airport (AYT) in Turkey shrank by 89.0 percent to 595,994 passengers. At Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia, traffic markedly rebounded. While still posting a 49.1 percent decline on the previous year, LED welcomed about 1.1 million passengers. Also Xi’an Airport (XIY) in China continued its recovery, serving some 3.2 million passengers in July 2020 (down 25.4 percent year-on-year).

#rebuildingtravel

Media Contact:

Yi-Chun Sandy Chen
Corporate Communications
Media Relations
Telephone +49 69 690-28779
[email protected]

Keeping Goods Moving via Frankfurt Airport: Europe’s Leading Cargo Airport Ensures Delivery of Vital Supplies

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The global coronavirus outbreak has rapidly changed the airfreight business. Import volumes at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) have risen sharply, while exports have stagnated. Transfer cargo has almost been eliminated. There has also been a noticeable shift in the shape and type of shipments towards small, loose packages. In tandem with its partners on-site, Frankfurt Airport has responded quickly to these changes, ensuring continued delivery of vital goods to Germany and Europe during the Corona crisis. 

In particular, the majority of shipments handled during the past weeks comprised urgently-needed medical and pharmaceutical protective supplies. Due to the collapse in passenger traffic, nearly all passenger aircraft have been grounded – resulting in the loss of belly cargo capacity. This missing capacity can be partially compensated by using so-called “Preighters” – passenger jets use for carrying only freight. Max Philipp Conrady, head of central cargo infrastructure at Fraport AG, the operator of Frankfurt Airport, stated: “Passenger planes being used as all-freighters require labor-intensive manual loading and unloading of cargo. Smooth handling is maintained thanks to very close cooperation among all partners involved – both in the airside apron area and on the landside of Frankfurt Airport.”

Landside cargo handlers have also noticed the sudden changes in the airfreight  business. Claus Wagner, managing director at FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services, stated: “During the past few weeks we have been handling more than 200 metric tons of medical supplies daily. In April, we handled some 730,000 packages labelled ‘protective masks’. Our warehouse facilities are operating at full capacity, and our staff are working nonstop.” Along with the composition of the freight, the inclusion of many new players in the supply chain is a further challenge. Wagner explained: “In addition to the established shipping companies, many individual recipients are currently collecting their goods from us directly. The processes are often unfamiliar, so increased coordination may be required.”

Fraport and FCS have successfully met these challenges by working closely with the other partners in the FRA cargo community. Joint solutions such as extra parking spaces, more staff, and intercompany assistance underscore the importance of Frankfurt Airport as a strategic global cargo hub. Fraport’s Conrady explained: “In recent years, our intensive commitment to building up a resilient cargo community at Frankfurt has paid off. All parties involved have communicated more effectively, and information has flowed more quickly. The crisis has drawn us even closer together as a community. Together, we are ensuring that air cargo is a vital and indispensible for delivering essential supplies to the people.”

#rebuildingtravel

Media Contact:

Maria Linden
Corporate Communications
Media Relations
Telephone +49 69 690-70557
[email protected]

Fraport Traffic Figures – April 2020: Major Decline in Passenger Volumes Continues

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Frankfurt Airport (FRA) counted only 188,078 passengers in April 2020, 96.9% less than in the corresponding month of last year. The total for Fraport traffic figures in the first four months of 2020 dropped by 45.7%. This major decline was due to the ongoing travel restrictions and collapsing demand triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. With only 6,512 takeoffs and landings, flight movements were also down by 85.1 percent. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) fell by 75.1 percent to 664,022 metric tons. Cargo volumes (comprising airfreight and airmail) contracted by 20.7 percent to 141,337 metric tons. These reductions were mainly driven by a decline in available belly freight capacity on passenger flights. By comparison, there were significantly more cargo-only flights this April.

A comparison of flight movements across Europe reveals that Frankfurt Airport has been the continent’s most important aviation hub during the coronavirus crisis, albeit at a lower level than usual. Based on current data from EUROCONTROL, Europe’s central organization for coordinating and planning air traffic control, it hosted considerably more flight movements―an average of 218 takeoffs and landings per day―than any other European airport. FRA has thus played a major role in continuing to supply the population of Germany and Europe with vital goods while ensuring a minimum of passenger flights.

Fraport’s Group airports worldwide have also been hit hard by the pandemic. Most of them are affected by severe travel restrictions (in Brazil, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia and China), while others have been completely shut down by the local authorities (Ljubljana Airport in Slovenia and Peru’s Lima Airport). The Fraport traffic figures in passenger volume plummeted by between 92.1 percent and 99.9 percent at most of the Group’s airports during the reporting month. The only exception was Xi’an Airport in China, which still boasted a significant passenger volume of about 1.4 million, 64.1 percent less than in April of 2019.

#rebuildingtravel

MEDIA CONTACT: Torben Beckmann, Fraport AG, Corporate Communications, Media Relations, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany, E-mail:  [email protected] , Facebook:  www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport

Fraport: Growth momentum slows in October 2019

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Some 6.4 million passengers traveled through Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in October 2019, up 1.0 percent compared to the same month last year.

In the first ten months of 2019, passenger traffic at FRA grew by 2.2 percent. In the reporting month, aircraft movements decreased by 1.3 percent to 45,938 takeoffs and landings, while accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) contracted slightly by 0.3 percent to about 2.8 million metric tons. Cargo throughput (airfreight + airmail) dropped by 7.3 percent to 179,273 metric tons. Overall, FRA’s traffic development in October was impacted by the global economic slowdown, reductions in flight offerings, and a number of airline bankruptcies.

These dampening factors also affected some of Fraport’s Group airports worldwide. Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia served 99,231 passengers in the reporting month, down 38.5 percent. Fraport’s two Brazilian airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) saw combined traffic decline by 2.5 percent to some 1.3 million passengers. Growing by 2.6 percent, Peru’s Lima Airport (LIM) recorded nearly 2.0 million travelers.

Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports posted combined traffic growth of 1.6 percent to around 2.5 million passengers. In Bulgaria, traffic at the Fraport Twin Star airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) decreased by 5.7 percent overall to 145,772 passengers. In contrast, Antalya Airport (AYT) in Turkey saw traffic rise by 10.7 percent to about 4.1 million passengers. Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia, also achieved a 10.6 percent increase, serving some 1.7 million passengers. At Xi’an Airport (XIY) in China, traffic advanced by 3.4 percent to over 4.1 million passengers.

MEDIA CONTACT: Torben Beckmann, Fraport AG, Corporate Communications, Media Relations, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany, E-mail:  [email protected] , Facebook:  www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport