Frankfurt International Airport passenger numbers up 1.7 percent in August

Passenger numbers at Frankfurt International Airport were up by 1.7 percent in August, the company that manages it said Thursday.

Photo: Frankfurt International Airport passenger numbers up 1.7 percent in August

Fraport AG said that last month 5.1 million passengers used the airport, Europe's third-busiest behind London's Heathrow and Paris's Charles de Gaulle - a 1.7 percent increase on August 2006.

Demand for long-haul flights - particularly to the Caribbean and the Middle East - led the increase, while travel to European destinations also increased, Fraport said.

Fraport said the number of takeoffs and landings at Frankfurt rose by 0.7 percent to 43,096 in August, while the volume of air freight increased 4.6 percent to 173,870 metric tons.

Shares of Fraport were down 2.1 percent to EUR 48.11 (US$66.80) in Frankfurt trading, part of a wider decline.