Frankfurt Airport (FRA) saw cargo traffic decline by double-digits in June which is mainly attributed to lack of capacity with passenger planes still mostly grounded due to ongoing travel restrictions worldwide.

Fraport AG, which manages the airport, said freight volumes drop 16.5% year-on-year for June to 145,562 tonnes — bringing the first-half performance to an overall decline of 14.4% for a total of 912,396 tonnes.

"The main reason for the decline continued to be the lack of capacities from additional

cargo in passenger aircraft," Fraport said in a statement.

Frankfurt Airport is one of Europe's main cargo hubs based on cargo handled. In 2019, it ranked as the 13th busiest cargo airport worldwide handling 2.09 million tonnes of freight.

In Europe, it was the second busiest airport based on cargo handled in 2019 next to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport which handled 2.10 million tonnes.

Passenger volumes

Frankfurt Airport said passenger volume in June, dropped 90.9% year-on-year and in the first half of 2020, the decline in passenger traffic was 63.8%.

"The negative development in passenger traffic continued to be based on travel restrictions and the slump in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation of the travel warning for 31 European countries in mid-June and the subsequent expanded flight offer led to a slight recovery in passenger traffic in Frankfurt at the end of the month," it said.

Meanwhile, the number of flight movements declined by 79.7% in June to 9,331 take-offs and landings.