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Fraport Traffic Figures – July 2019: Passenger Traffic Rises at Frankfurt Airport

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International Group airports report differing traffic development Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed more than 6.9 million passengers in the reporting month, up 0.8 percent compared to the already heavily-traveled July holiday month last year.  For the first seven months of the year, passenger traffic at FRA rose by 2.6 percent.   Aircraft movements in July 2019 climbed by 1.0 percent to 47,125 takeoffs and landings, while accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) expanded by 2.4 percent to over 2.9 million metric tons.   FRA’s cargo throughput (airfreight + airmail) also grew by 1.5 percent to 178,652 metric tons. 

Across the Group, airports in Fraport’s international portfolio reported differing development in passenger traffic. Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport (LJU) achieved a 4.2 percent jump in traffic to 207,292 passengers. Fraport’s two Brazilian airports in Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) together received about 1.3 million passengers – a decline of 9.9 percent year-on-year. This decline, among other things, can be attributed to the bankruptcy of Avianca Brasil – whereby other carriers temporarily were unable to fully absorb the traffic volume. 

With nearly 2.1 million passengers, Peru’s Lima Airport (LIM) recorded a further 4.9 percent rise in traffic. The 14 Greek airports together welcomed some 5.3 million passengers in July 2019, decreasing 0.8 percent year-on-year. This light downturn resulted from the consolidation of flight offers by some airlines serving the Greek market. 

On the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the Twin Star airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) together served about 1.2 million passengers.The resulting 13.2 percent drop in passengers is a continuation of the consolidation trend seen in previous months, following the rapid passenger growth in figures at the Twin Star airports in recent years. In contrast, Antalya Airport (AYT) on the Turkish Riviera reported almost 5.4 million passengers, again recording strong growth of 11.7 percent in July 2019. Registering some 2.2 million passengers, Russia’s St. Petersburg Airport (LED) also achieved growth of 4.9 percent. Traffic at China’s Xian Airport (XIY) almost reached 4.3 million passengers, a 7.4 percent gain compared to the same month last year. 

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MEDIA CONTACT: Torben Beckmann, Fraport AG, Corporate Communications, Media Relations, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany, E-mail:  t.beckmann@fraport.de , Facebook:  www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport

Fraport Group: Stable performance achieved during the first six months of the year

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During the first half of fiscal 2019 (ending June 30), the Fraport Group achieved growth in both revenue and earnings. Group revenue increased by 5.2 percent to €1,513.9 million, after adjusting for revenue in connection with capital expenditures made for expansion projects at Fraport’s Group airports worldwide (according to IFRIC 12). At Frankfurt Airport, factors contributing to revenue growth included higher proceeds from ground handling services and infrastructure charges, as well as from the retail and parking business. In Fraport’s international portfolio, major contributions came from the Lima Airport Partners subsidiary in Peru, as well as from Fraport USA and Fraport Greece.

The operating result or Group EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) advanced by 10.9 percent or by €50.2 million to €511.5 million in the reporting period. This amount includes a €22.8 million positive effect resulting from the first-time application of the IFRS 16 accounting standard. When adjusting for this effect, EBITDA grew by €27.4 million or 5.9 percent. The increase can be attributed, in particular, to the positive performance of the Ground Handling and Retail & Real Estate business segments in Frankfurt, with both segments benefitting, among other things, from traffic growth at Frankfurt Airport.

Effective January 1, the mandatory IFRS 16 international financial reporting standard establishes new rules for the accounting of leases. Specifically, this affects the accounting of lease contracts concluded by the Group’s Fraport USA subsidiary. The application of IFRS 16, on the one hand, led to lower operating expenses with a respective positive impact on EBITDA. On the other hand, this positive effect was offset by higher amortization and depreciation in the amount of €21.6 million and by a €5.8 million increase in interest expense. Thanks to an overall improved financial result, the Group result (net profit) rose by €24.1 million or 17.1 percent to €164.9 million in the reporting period.

Fraport AG’s executive board chairman, Dr. Stefan Schulte, commented: “In the first half of 2019, we successfully held our ground amid the overall challenging market environment. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to further increase our passenger satisfaction levels despite intensified peak traffic, while also reducing wait times at the security checkpoints. We remain strongly committed to further optimizing our processes.”

In the January-to-June 2019 period, operating cash flow expanded by 13.0 percent to €367.5 million. In contrast, free cash flow decreased noticeably – as forecast – by €282.5 million to minus €305.7 million. This was due to higher capital expenditure at Frankfurt Airport and some Group airports in Fraport’s international portfolio.

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed more than 33.6 million passengers in the first six months of 2019, representing an increase of 3.0 percent year-on-year. Most of Fraport’s Group airports worldwide also recorded passenger growth in the reporting period. Only the two Bulgarian airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) saw combined traffic drop by 12.9 percent, with this trend expected to continue over the course of the year.

For the full year 2019, Fraport AG’s executive board is maintaining its traffic forecast for FRA, where passenger numbers are expected to rise between about two and three percent. The executive board also confirmed the company’s financial outlook for the 2019 business year, as outlined in the Annual Report 2018: Group EBITDA between about €1,160 million and €1,195 million; Group EBIT between about €685 million and €725 million; Group EBT between about €570 million and €615 million; and Group result (or net profit) between about €420 million and €460 million.

You can find the Group Interim Report on the Fraport AG website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Torben Beckmann, Fraport AG, Corporate Communications, Media Relations, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany, E-mail:  t.beckmann@fraport.de , Facebook:  www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport