Frankfurt Airport welcomes 59.4 million travellers in 2023

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s primary aviation hub, experienced a noteworthy recovery in 2023, witnessing a 21% year-on-year increase in passenger traffic, reaching 59.4 million travellers. Despite this positive trajectory, the airport’s figures remained nearly 16% below pre-COVID-19 levels. The operator, Fraport, highlighted the significant rebound in passenger demand throughout the year, with December exhibiting the strongest growth momentum since the onset of the pandemic.

CEO Stefan Schulte acknowledged 2023 as another challenging year for the aviation industry, citing factors such as the conflict in Ukraine, air restrictions during NATO exercises in Germany, and strikes by air traffic controllers in France. Despite these challenges, Fraport successfully stabilized operations at Frankfurt Airport, showcasing a clear recovery trend.

Schulte expressed optimism for 2024, noting that the traffic performance in 2023 indicates a strong desire among people to travel, signifying a rebound from the impacts of the pandemic. The recovery in passenger numbers at Frankfurt Airport follows varied trajectories at major European hubs.

While London Heathrow experienced a modest decline of only 2% below its 2019 figures, Amsterdam Schiphol saw an 18% year-on-year rise in passenger traffic in 2023, still lagging 14% behind 2019 figures. In response to its recovery, Schiphol is planning a limited reduction in capacity in 2024 to manage peak-time pressures.

Fraport, which operates a portfolio of airports globally, reported a surge in traffic across most of its international outposts. Ljubljana Airport in Slovenia witnessed an impressive 31% annual increase, reaching 1.3 million passengers. Fraport’s 14 regional airports in Greece also experienced substantial growth, catering to 33.9 million passengers in 2023, an 11.8% increase over 2022 and 12.3% higher than 2019.

Despite ongoing challenges, including geopolitical tensions and operational disruptions, the positive trend in passenger numbers at Frankfurt Airport and Fraport’s other international locations signals a resilient and recovering aviation sector, offering a hopeful outlook for the industry in the coming year.

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