Labour strikes drag down passenger numbers at Frankfurt airport

Six strike days at Lufthansa cost Frankfurt Airport around half a million passengers in April, operator Fraport said on Friday. 

It registered around 4.8 million passengers for the month, down 11% compared with the same month last year. 

Flight movements fell 11.6% to 34,623 take-offs and landings, the MDax-listed group said. The Easter holidays also played a small role because in 2026 they did not fall entirely in April like the year before.

Cargo volumes also suffered from the work stoppages by pilots and cabin crew. The load fell 0.6% to 168,526 tons, amid missing belly-hold opportunities on Lufthansa passenger aircraft. In addition, the pilots also went on strike at the cargo airline Lufthansa Cargo.