Berlin — Ryanair and Lufthansa will drive growth at Frankfurt airport this winter, helping Germany’s largest hub boost passenger numbers by about 5% this year, airport operator Fraport said on Thursday.
Fraport had been slow to open up Frankfurt, one of Europe’s busiest and most expensive airports, to low-cost carriers. After passenger numbers dropped last year it agreed to discounts for Ryanair — angering main customer Lufthansa.
"We are also achieving solid growth in Frankfurt again, where we made the necessary strategic decisions at the right time," Fraport CEO Stefan Schulte said as the group reported third-quarter core profit in line with expectations.