Fraport AG Expects Traffic Figures to
Continue Climbing in the Coming Months

FRA/rap> In October 2003 Fraport AG recorded a 2.4 percent increase in both passenger and airfreight traffic at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) - a noticeable increase compared to the same month last year. With almost 4.6 million passengers in the reporting month, Frankfurt Airport registered the best October in the airport's history and one of its strongest months since the traffic slump following 9/11. In particular, intercontinental traffic to the Middle East, Central and South Africa, as well as North America was characterized by high growth rates. Far East traffic, especially to India, also experienced growth in October 2003. China - the market with the highest traffic volume - also recovered from the impact of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

The industry outlook is also optimistic: The travel sector is currently reporting a climb in bookings for the winter season and the Lufthansa Group reported increasing passenger figures for October 2003.
Thus, Fraport expects a noticeable recovery in demand during the coming months and a continuing climb in passenger figures compared to the same period last year. For the January-to-October 2003 period, FRA’s passenger volume reached about 41.1 million or only 0.9 percent less than in the corresponding period in 2002. For the entire year of 2003, Fraport expects passenger traffic to be a maximum of one percent below the previous year's figure.

Fraport also registered a noticeable increase in airfreight activity, with 142,704 metric tons handled at FRA in the reporting month. The Middle East and Far East routes proved to be growth engines for FRA. Cargo volumes on routes to and from Central and South Africa as well as Eastern Europe also developed positively, while volumes on North American routes declined, above all because of currency exchange rates. For the first 10 months of 2003, FRA handled about 1.3 million metric tons of airfreight, 1.8 percent more than in the comparable period last year. Airmail volumes dropped 9.1 percent to 10,827 metric tons in October versus the same month last year, due to a further reduction in services in the domestic overnight airmail network based at FRA.

The number of aircraft movements at FRA dropped slightly compared to last year's level. In October 2003 FRA recorded 40,204 take-offs and landings, 0.7 percent below the same month last year. FRA's maximum take-off weights (MTOWs) increased slightly by 0.6 percent to about 2.2 million metric tons.

For More Information, Please Contact:
Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide
Attn: Robert A. Payne - Manager International Press
60547 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel.: +49 69 690 -78547 / Fax: +49 69 690 -60548
E-Mail: r.payne@fraport.de / Internet: www.fraport.com