Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest air hub, returned to growth in passenger traffic in the second quarter of 2025, showing signs of recovery. Despite a decline in flights to the Middle East due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, overall passenger numbers rebounded significantly.
According to data released by airport operator Fraport AG, Frankfurt welcomed 16.7 million passengers in the second quarter, a 3.1% increase compared to the same period last year. This marks four consecutive months of growth from April through the end of June.
After experiencing a slight decline of 0.9% in Q1, Frankfurt served a total of 29.1 million passengers in the first half of 2025, up 1.4% year-over-year. This growth came despite a 7.8% drop in traffic to the Middle East. A 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June severely affected air traffic to the region.
Stable Traffic to North and Latin America
Flights to and from North America remained “stable,” with 4 million passengers recorded. Meanwhile, connections to Latin America saw a 2.8% rise, with the total number of passengers reaching 1.2 million.
Fraport CEO Urges Government Action
Fraport CEO Stefan Schulte emphasized the importance of political support in maintaining the current growth momentum:
“The German government must urgently implement the measures outlined in the coalition agreement to ease the burden on our industry. Only then can we avoid falling further behind in international competition.”
Schulte also noted that operational performance had improved, highlighting reduced wait times due to the introduction of modern technology at security checkpoints and baggage claim areas. Frankfurt’s flight punctuality has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Growth Across the Fraport Group
The positive trend extended beyond Germany. Including its airports in Greece, Turkey, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Peru, and Brazil, Fraport’s group-wide passenger traffic rose by 5.5% in June 2025 compared to the previous year, reaching 19.9 million passengers.
