FRANKFURT, Germany,
May 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Dividend Proposed to Remain at €1.25
per Share / Fraport CEO Schulte: "New Pier A-Plus Is
Milestone for Enhancing the Passenger Experience and Making
Transfers Easier"
Speaking at Fraport AG's 12th Annual General Meeting
(AGM) on Friday, May 31, in
Frankfurt-Höchst, Fraport AG executive board chairman Dr.
Stefan Schulte reported that fiscal
year 2012 met expectations despite challenging times for the air
transportation industry. "The ongoing European debt crisis,
along with business and consumer uncertainty, influenced air travel
demand. This caused airlines to reduce services from their
flight schedules. Nevertheless, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) maintained
its position in terms of growing passenger numbers compared to
other European airports. Also on the financial side, we met
the expectations forecast in 2012," stressed Schulte.
Fraport's majority-owned airports served almost 100 million
passengers in 2012, an increase of 2.9 percent or 2.8 million
passengers year-on-year. At Fraport's Frankfurt home base, passenger numbers grew by
1.1 million to 57.5 million (up 1.9
percent). Schulte also presented positive financial
results for 2012. Fraport's revenue rose by three percent to €2.4
billion, while EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation
and amortization) climbed by six percent to €850.7 million.
As expected, Fraport's Group result of €251.6 million (up 0.3
percent) reached the same level as in 2011 - due to large
investments at FRA and the resulting depreciation and financing
costs. Schulte explained: "We are implementing a comprehensive
program for expanding the capacity of Frankfurt Airport. The new
Runway Northwest and A-Plus terminal expansion, as well as our
future Terminal 3 project, are initiatives that are preparing FRA
to meet the expected growth in air traffic."
Hence, Schulte reiterated the expectations of the Fraport
executive board: The traffic volume at Germany's biggest airport will continue to
climb in the medium term. "From time to time, aviation has
experienced temporary traffic downturns. But history also
shows that these consolidation phases are followed by a resurgent
stronger industry. All forecasts indicate that the worldwide
demand for mobility in the air transportation industry will
continue to grow." Regarding construction of Terminal 3,
Schulte added: "We will provide new passenger facilities when
our customers need them - which will probably start around 2020.
Thus, we are planning to commence construction of Terminal 3
in 2015."
Fraport's CEO emphasized the inauguration of FRA's new A-Plus
terminal expansion, calling it a milestone for enhancing the
passenger experience and making transfers easer. The Frankfurt
Airport company invested some €700 million for the new pier and its
corresponding aircraft apron area. Opened in October 2012, Pier A-Plus has been well received
by passengers and the airlines. Overall passenger
satisfaction at FRA has increased steadily since 2010, which
Schulte says can also be attributed to Fraport's "Great to Have You
Here!" quality service program.
Skytrax, the renowned market research institute, recently
honored Frankfurt Airport with its "World's Most Improved Airport"
award. On behalf of the entire executive board, Schulte
thanked all Fraport employees for their dedication and excellence,
which made it possible for FRA to receive this prestigious Skytrax
award.
In his AGM presentation, Schulte also talked about measures
being taken to reduce noise emissions around Frankfurt Airport.
In 2012, the Alliance for More Noise Abatement - founded by
major aviation partners at FRA along with the Hessian State
government - launched a series of outstanding measures which are
unprecedented in Europe. To date,
10 out of 19 of the Alliance's active noise abatement measures have
already been implemented, so that people living close to Frankfurt
Airport are less affected by aircraft noise. "Our goal is to
achieve a
reasonable balance between the economic requirements of our
region and the quality of life for residents. Therefore, we
regard our commitment to noise abatement as an ongoing
responsibility, which we will continue working on intensively,"
stressed Schulte.
For the 2013 business year, Fraport anticipates passenger
traffic at FRA to remain at about the same level as last year.
For the Group's other majority-owned airports outside of
Frankfurt, Fraport expects
passenger growth to continue. Fraport forecasts Group EBITDA
to be between €870 million and €890 million and the Group result to
be below the previous year's level.
Fraport AG's executive and supervisory boards will recommend to
the shareholders a dividend of €1.25 per share once again for
fiscal year 2012.
For Further Information, Please Contact:
Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide
Robert A. Payne, B.A.A. -
International Spokesman and Head of International Press/PR &
External Activities Team, Press Office (UKM-PS), Corporate
Communications, 60547 Frankfurt,
Germany, Tel: +49-69-690-78547, E-mail: r.payne@fraport.de,
Internet: http://www.fraport.com