Record for Frankfurt Airport

Last month, 5.8 million passengers used Frankfurt Airport, which was the highest number of people ever recorded at Germany's biggest international hub, airport operators Fraport said Wednesday.

The figure marked a rise by 3.6 percent compared with the same months a year ago and was mainly the result of the summer holiday season in full swing in Germany, the company said.

Fraport also noted that the August figure was in line with an upward trend in passenger numbers this summer after a series of interruptions earlier in the year.

In April, a strike by the staff of Germany's Lufthansa airline grounded hundreds of flights, causing passenger numbers in Frankfurt to slump by 2.2 percent. The strike compounded the airport's woes after a spell of cold winter weather had led to several cancellations in February and March.

The positive trend gave rise to hopes for ongoing growth in the second half of 2013, Fraport said, adding that it would maintain its full-year outlook of reaching 57.5 million passengers in 2013, which was more or less the same as last year.

uhe/kms (dpa, Reuters)