The global airport group Fraport has seen a successful start to the new 2023 business year, achieving a noticeable improvement in the Group’s key financial figures during the first two March 31.
Off the back of the quarter one results, Fraport’s executive board have maintained their full year outlook for 2023
Continued traffic recovery
The positive performance was underpinned by the ongoing traffic recovery across Fraport’s global network of airports. As a result, Group revenue increased by 41.9 percent year-on-year to €765.6 million. The operating result (EBITDA) jumped over 100 percent year-on-year to €158.3 million.
The Group result or net profit climbed to minus 32.6 million in the reporting period (from minus €118.2 million in the first quarter of 2022).
It should be noted that Q1 is typically the financial quarter with the lowest earnings. Despite the strong start to the New Year, Fraport’s CEO remains “cautiously optimistic” with respect to performance beyond the summer peak season.
This perspective has been taken up by other airlines and airport operators this year, given the continued global economic uncertainty.
Dr. Stefan Schulte, Fraport’s CEO, said: “We’re heading in the right direction. The recovery in passenger numbers has continued since the start of the new year, further boosting our business performance in the first quarter.”
“For the summer, we expect passenger traffic in Frankfurt to grow between 15 percent and 25 percent. Frankfurt Airport is fully gearing up for the upcoming busy summer season.”
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“Therefore, we are cautiously optimistic that we can maintain operations as stable as during the recent Easter peak. Our leisure-dominated Group airports worldwide also continue to report ongoing recovery.”
“Along with Greece, other Fraport Group airports are also projected to reach near pre-crisis levels during 2023. For the full year, we expect the positive business trend to continue in line with the given guidance.”
“Robust performance improvement”
Driven by passenger growth and the resulting higher earnings, Group revenue increased by 41.9 percent year-on-year to €765.6 million in the first quarter of 2023.
For the first time, the Group’s Q1 revenue includes proceeds from aviation security fees (totaling €45.1 million) levied by Fraport after assuming responsibility for security screening at Frankfurt Airport with the start of 2023.
Fraport’s operating result or EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) more than doubled in the first quarter, soaring from €70.7 million in Q1/2022 to €158.3 million in the reporting period.
Likewise, the Group result (net profit) markedly improved year-on-year, rising from minus €118.2 million in Q1/2022 to minus €32.6 million in Q1/2023.
Passenger recovery continues…
In the first three months of the current 2023 business year, passenger numbers at Fraport’s home-base airport in Frankfurt grew by 56.0 percent year-on-year.
Demand in Frankfurt was particularly high for intercontinental air travel and for flights to warm-weather destinations, such as the Canary Islands. Fraport’s actively managed Group airports worldwide also reported a strong rise in passenger numbers.
The 14 Greek airports were leading the line with overall passenger growth of 44.0 percent, along with Antalya Airport in Turkey, where traffic was up 32.1 percent year-on-year.
Full-year 2023 outlook
Echoing the CEO’s characterisation of cautious optimism for the full year, Fraport’s executive board is maintaining its full-year outlook for 2023 after the results from Q1.
Fraport expects passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport to grow by at least 80 percent and up to about 90 percent compared to pre-crisis 2019, when some 70.6 million passengers traveled via Germany’s largest aviation hub.
