The new year has started with a surge in global travel demand across the Fraport Group’s international portfolio, with Germany, Slovenia, Brazil, Peru, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey all seeing robust growth in passenger numbers. According to the latest traffic report for January 2026, total passenger traffic at airports actively managed by Fraport rose 7.1 percent year on year to around 9.6 million travelers, underscoring the continued rebound of international tourism and the growing appeal of several key leisure and business destinations.
Fraport’s Global Network Enters 2026 on a High
Fraport’s January 2026 figures illustrate a strong start to the year across its global network. The company reported that its airports welcomed approximately 9.6 million passengers during the month, an increase of 7.1 percent compared with January 2025. This performance points to solid momentum following a year of record or near-record results in several markets, including Greece, Peru and Turkey, and signals that demand for air travel remains resilient despite macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties.
Frankfurt Airport in Germany, the group’s primary hub, handled 4.1 million passengers in January, representing growth of 4.9 percent year on year. While Germany has been slower than some markets to return to pre-pandemic volumes, the figures confirm a steady recovery trajectory at one of Europe’s key intercontinental gateways. Modest but positive growth at Frankfurt is being complemented by outsized gains at Fraport’s international airports, where tourism flows and improved connectivity are driving double-digit increases in some cases.
The broad-based expansion in January crowns a period of sustained growth throughout 2025. Across the full year, Fraport’s airports handled 183.7 million passengers, up 5.3 percent from 2024. Within that portfolio, the regional airports managed by Fraport in Greece, Bulgaria and Slovenia, as well as large leisure-oriented hubs in Peru, Brazil and Turkey, have emerged as standout performers. The January 2026 data therefore not only confirm the persistence of these trends, but also highlight how travel demand is shifting toward sun, sea and cultural destinations served by Fraport’s network.
Germany’s Frankfurt Hub Anchors Recovery
Germany remains central to Fraport’s strategy, with Frankfurt Airport continuing to function as a pivotal hub linking Europe with the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In January 2026, Frankfurt’s passenger numbers rose to 4.1 million, up 4.9 percent compared with a year earlier. Aircraft movements increased by 1.1 percent to 31,284 takeoffs and landings, while cargo volumes ticked up by 1.2 percent to 150,044 metric tons. This mix of passenger and cargo growth underscores Frankfurt’s role not just as a tourism gateway, but as a critical node in global trade and business travel.
Despite the solid start to 2026, Frankfurt’s passenger traffic still lags slightly behind pre-pandemic levels, reflecting both structural shifts in business travel and a challenging cost and regulatory environment in Germany. Industry commentary has noted that higher aviation taxes and operating expenses have weighed on the pace of recovery compared with some European peers. Nonetheless, Frankfurt continues to serve more than 300 destinations worldwide and benefits from strong demand on European and intercontinental routes, particularly to Southern Europe and long-haul leisure markets.
For incoming tourism, Germany’s gradual rebound is particularly significant. As Frankfurt’s connectivity improves and seat capacity grows, it becomes easier for international travelers from Latin America, the Middle East or Asia to access German cities, cultural regions and nearby destinations in neighboring countries. While the growth rate here may be more moderate than in strictly leisure-focused markets, a stable, diversified recovery at Frankfurt provides a firm backbone for the broader Fraport portfolio.
Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport Builds on Strong 2025
Slovenia is emerging from the pandemic as one of Central Europe’s quiet success stories. Ljubljana Airport, operated by Fraport, recorded nearly 1.6 million passengers in 2025, an increase of 10.6 percent over the previous year. December alone saw traffic surge by close to 19 percent year on year, underlining the airport’s accelerating trajectory as new carriers and routes are added. The January 2026 Fraport figures show that this momentum has carried into the new year, with Ljubljana’s traffic up 20.8 percent to 87,672 passengers compared with January 2025.
The growth at Ljubljana is driven by a combination of strengthened connections to major European hubs and a solid mix of business and leisure demand. Travelers most frequently choose established gateways such as Istanbul, Frankfurt, Zurich, Amsterdam and London, which provide convenient onward links worldwide. At the same time, charter services to popular holiday destinations in Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia and Greece remain a core pillar of the airport’s offering, reflecting Slovenian travelers’ appetite for sun-and-sea escapes during both summer and shoulder seasons.
Airlines are clearly betting on Slovenia’s continued rise as both a source and destination market. In 2026, several carriers, including KLM and Swiss, are increasing frequencies or enhancing schedules on key routes, while others such as Aegean Airlines, flydubai, British Airways and Wizz Air are boosting capacity or adding services. This expansion is expected to sustain Ljubljana’s double-digit growth, broaden its tourism catchment area and make it easier for international visitors to reach Slovenia’s alpine landscapes, lakes and historic towns.
Brazil and Peru Extend Latin America’s Tourism Rebound
In Latin America, Brazil and Peru are reinforcing their positions as major growth drivers within Fraport’s portfolio. The company’s two Brazilian airports, Fortaleza and Porto Alegre, registered a combined 24.9 percent jump in passenger traffic in January 2026, reaching around 1.3 million travelers. This surge comes on the heels of a powerful rebound in 2025, when activity at Porto Alegre ramped back up following severe flooding and an extended operational shutdown in 2024.
Fortaleza and Porto Alegre benefit from strong domestic travel within Brazil, as well as increasing demand for regional links across South America and selected long-haul leisure routes. Fortaleza, with its beaches and growing role as a northeast Brazilian hub, captures substantial holiday traffic. Porto Alegre, meanwhile, is regaining its place as a vital gateway for southern Brazil’s business, agricultural and wine-producing regions. The sharp year-on-year growth in January signals that the recovery in Brazil has not only consolidated but is now entering an expansion phase.
Peru’s capital, Lima, is also continuing its upward climb. Lima Airport handled about 2.2 million passengers in January 2026, an increase of 1.3 percent compared with the same month in 2025. While the growth rate here is more modest than in some other markets, it comes after Lima set an all-time annual record of roughly 25.5 million passengers in 2025. Investment in terminal and runway capacity is gradually unlocking further potential, positioning Lima as a powerful hub linking North and South America and serving as the main entry point for visitors heading to Peru’s iconic destinations such as Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.
Greece’s Regional Airports Ride a Wave of Year-Round Demand
Greece continues to stand out as one of Europe’s star performers in aviation and tourism. Fraport’s 14 regional Greek airports, which include gateways to islands and coastal resorts across the country, recorded an 8.1 percent increase in passenger traffic in January 2026, serving approximately 717,800 travelers. That performance confirms that Greece’s appeal as a travel destination is increasingly year-round rather than confined to the high summer season.
Thessaloniki Airport, the largest of Fraport’s regional assets in Greece, was the key driver of January’s growth. It posted a 5.8 percent rise in passenger numbers and a 4.4 percent increase in flight movements compared with January 2025. Domestic passengers accounted for much of the uptick, but international traffic also contributed, particularly from markets such as Turkey, the United Kingdom, Sweden and France. Routes to and from Israel posted especially strong results, with traffic up nearly 50 percent year on year.
The January data build on a very strong 2025, in which Fraport Greece handled over 37 million passengers, around 3 percent more than in 2024 and almost half again as many as in 2016, the year before Fraport took over operations. Several airports, including Thessaloniki and Rhodes, have been hitting new milestones, driven by expanded airline capacity, improved infrastructure and continued investment in services and facilities. For Greece’s tourism sector, the implications are significant: better connectivity to regional centers, longer operating seasons and a deeper diversification of source markets across Europe and beyond.
Bulgaria’s Black Sea Gateways Show Double-Digit Growth
On the western shores of the Black Sea, Bulgaria’s airports at Burgas and Varna are quietly delivering some of the fastest growth rates in Fraport’s portfolio. In January 2026, the two coastal airports welcomed 92,263 passengers, a robust 16.2 percent increase compared with the same month the year before. The figures mirror a strong 2025, when Burgas and Varna handled a combined 3.7 million travelers, up more than 10 percent year on year.
These airports serve as primary gateways to Bulgaria’s resort-lined Black Sea coast, which has been gaining favor among European travelers seeking relatively affordable beach holidays. Charter traffic in the summer months remains a significant component of demand, particularly from source markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland and the Nordic countries. However, there has also been a gradual strengthening of scheduled services and shoulder-season flights, which is helping to stretch the traditional holiday window and support local economies for a larger portion of the year.
The double-digit growth in January, typically one of the quieter months for beach destinations, suggests that Burgas and Varna are benefitting from a wider regional upturn as well as from increased marketing efforts by Bulgarian tourism authorities and tour operators. As infrastructure improvements continue and airline interest in secondary coastal airports grows, Bulgaria is well positioned to attract more visitors seeking sun, culture and value on the Black Sea.
Turkey’s Antalya Confirms Its Role as a Mega-Resort Hub
Turkey’s Antalya Airport, situated on the country’s Mediterranean coast, continues to rank among Fraport’s largest and most dynamic assets. Passenger traffic at Antalya climbed 7.4 percent in January 2026, reaching about 1.1 million travelers. This follows an already record-setting 2025, when the airport welcomed around 39 million passengers, setting a new operational benchmark and underscoring Antalya’s status as one of Europe’s leading resort gateways.
Antalya’s growth is closely tied to the enduring popularity of Turkey’s all-inclusive beach resorts among travelers from Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Competitive pricing, extensive hotel capacity and a broad range of seasonal and year-round flight options have enabled the region to capture a significant share of sun-seeking tourism demand. The reinforcement of air links and the return of high-capacity tour operator programs have further cemented Antalya’s position as a central hub for Mediterranean leisure travel.
In addition to pure vacation traffic, Antalya is also benefitting from the increasing diversification of Turkey’s tourism offer, with visitors combining coastal stays with cultural or nature-based experiences inland. The sustained month-on-month growth visible in Fraport’s reports suggests that, absent major external shocks, Antalya is on track to continue its upward trend in 2026, contributing strongly to both Turkish tourism and Fraport’s group performance.
Outlook: A New Phase of Global Tourism Expansion
The January 2026 numbers from Fraport’s airports in Germany, Slovenia, Brazil, Peru, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey indicate that the global tourism recovery has moved beyond a simple rebound and is now entering a phase of expansion and recalibration. Demand patterns are shifting in favor of leisure-oriented regions and secondary hubs that offer competitive pricing, attractive destinations and improving connectivity. At the same time, major hubs such as Frankfurt and Lima are consolidating their roles as intercontinental connectors, even as business travel evolves.
For travelers, the implications are largely positive. More routes, higher frequencies and wider airline participation mean greater choice and, in many cases, better value. For the destinations themselves, sustained traffic growth brings both opportunities and challenges. It can drive investment, create jobs and support local economies, but it also demands careful management of infrastructure, environmental impacts and community needs.
If current trends continue, 2026 could see Fraport’s portfolio edge closer to or surpass its pre-pandemic peaks in several markets, with Greece, Turkey, Brazil and Slovenia among the likely front-runners. As new capacity comes online and airlines fine-tune their networks, the airports highlighted in the latest traffic figures are poised to play an even larger role in shaping global tourism flows in the months and years ahead.