Cargo traffic through Frankfurt Airport rose 5.4 per cent in January to 99,698 tonnes and 3.6 per cent in February to 105,774 tonnes, for cumulative two-month growth of 4.5 per cent to 205,472 tonnes.
A World Airport Week report said it compared with a 2.9 per cent fall in volumes to 1.3 million tonnes last year.
An airport spokesman said the turnaround was due in part to growth on Asian carriers, mainly imports, and also to higher volumes from Star Alliance carriers feeding into Lufthansa out of Frankfurt.
The spokesman said the time-definite services introduced by Lufthansa in April last year also could have depressed figures for the year, leading to more value growth but less volume.
Lufthansa attributes the fall to declining volumes in Asia in the first half, and from North America in the second half. Lufthansa's passenger growth in 1998 was 8.8 per cent to 40,456.
