FRA/rap-th> Fraport AG, the owner and manager of Frankfurt Airport (FRA), last year continued to expand its role as economic engine of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region and beyond. In 2009, Fraport awarded contracts totaling €1.14 billion – a 39.5 percent year-on-year increase in the company's capital expenditures at FRA. For 2010, Fraport expects a similarly high contract volume.
"With our investments, we are strengthening Frankfurt Airport's position by making it fit for the future. At the same time, the contracts that we place secure thousands of jobs, especially at medium-sized companies in the airport region," explained Fraport AG executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte. According to available estimates, €1 billion in annual investments at FRA secure more than 25,000 jobs at the contracted companies. "Particularly at this economically difficult time, Fraport's investments are of immense importance for numerous medium-sized companies and thus represent a privately financed economic stimulus package," said Fraport's CEO.
More than €800 million or approximately 71 percent of all contracts in 2009 were awarded under competitive tenders to firms throughout the Rhine-Main region. The figure was only 66.3 percent in 2008. "On the one hand, this development clearly speaks for the competitive performance of regional businesses; on the other, it impressively underscores the immense importance of FRA for the region's economic power," emphasized Schulte.
The airport operator's contracts were mainly placed with smaller companies and businesses last year. Some 92.2 percent of all contracts had a maximum value of €10,000 – thus ensuring the viability of numerous medium-sized companies. Contract volume reached a record level in 2009, primarily because of the numerous reconstruction and expansion projects now underway at Frankfurt Airport. Civil engineering contracts for the new Runway Northwest alone came to about €75 million. Fraport spent approximately €45 million on nature protection and environmental projects. In detail, Fraport's purchasing volume in 2009 breaks down as follows: construction companies received contracts worth €557 million – the highest share – while some €297.1 million were spent on general goods and services, and another €120.8 million for architectural, engineering and consulting services. The remaining contract volume was spent on building maintenance, IT procurement as well as technical goods and services.
In 2010, Fraport also plans to award contracts totaling about €1 billion. ""With our investments this year, we will continue to give decisive impetus to economic development in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region," concluded Schulte.
