Frankfurt Airport's Recovery Hampered by Taxes and Strikes

Frankfurt Airport, managed by Fraport, is on a recovery trajectory with an expected increase in passenger numbers to between 61 and 65 million this year. Despite this positive trend, the airport remains below the pre-pandemic peak of nearly 71 million passengers in 2019. In 2023, Frankfurt saw a 21% increase in passenger traffic, reaching 59.4 million, yet this recovery pace still places it 16% behind 2019 levels.

Top 10 European airports by passenger figures in 2023

Stefan Schulte, Fraport's CEO, highlighted that despite Frankfurt experiencing the strongest recovery among major German airports in 2023, it still lags significantly behind other European hubs, with passenger levels at 84% of pre-crisis figures. A FlightGlobal analysis positions Frankfurt as Europe's sixth-largest airport by passenger numbers, trailing behind London Heathrow, Istanbul, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Madrid Barajas. Notably, among Europe's top 10 airports, Frankfurt has the largest gap to its 2019 passenger figures.

Fraport attributes part of the sluggish recovery to "dampening factors" like elevated location-related costs, including a notable increase in levies and fees since 2019. These financial burdens, coupled with operational challenges such as strikes, have contributed to the slower return to pre-pandemic passenger levels at Frankfurt Airport.

As Frankfurt Airport strives to regain its footing in the competitive European aviation market, these external pressures underscore the broader challenges faced by the industry in achieving full recovery. Fraport's broad international portfolio, including record-setting passenger numbers at its Greek and Turkish airports, demonstrates the varied pace of recovery across its global operations.