Frankfurt Airport (FRA) saw cargo traffic drop again in May as the airspace restrictions in place due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continued to impact the segment.

Germany's largest aviation hub said as, in the previous months, cargo traffic (comprising airfreight and airmail) also slowed in May 2022, with tonnage dropping by 15% year-on-year.

"This was largely due to airspace restrictions related to the war in Ukraine and the extensive anti-Covid measures in China."

FRA noted that aircraft movements climbed by 115.4% year-on-year to 36,565 takeoffs and landings, nonetheless with accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) rising by 71.9% year-on-year to some 2.2 million metric tons in the reporting month.

In terms of passenger performance, Frankfurt Airport reported that it served 4.6 million passengers in May 2022 – representing a surge of 267.4% versus May 2021.

It said the ongoing rise in demand for holiday flights is driving this upward trend.

"As a result, Germany's largest aviation hub maintained its rapid growth momentum in May 2022, while also recording its strongest traffic month since the pandemic began," it said, adding that compared to the same month in pre-pandemic 2019, FRA's passenger traffic still declined by 26.4% in May 2022.