Europe’s third-busiest airport also received approximately 11.8 million passengers from January to March, a 3.7 percent increase from 2010. What’s more, Frankfurt Airport reported more than 114,000 departures and landings during this three-month span, a 5.2 percent jump from 2010.

Another 2011 increase at Frankfurt Airport was accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs). Rising by 900,000 metric tonnes, airport forecasters point to this increase as a major accomplishment for the German airport.

Moreover, much of this jump occurred in March. Up 3.4 percent from March 2010, MTOWs reached 2.4 million metric tonnes this March, a record for Frankfurt Airport. In addition, approximately 40,900 departures and landings occurred in March, a 2 percent increase from March 2010.

March passenger and airfreight traffic, however, didn't change much. Relatively consistent with March 2010 numbers, experts hypothesize that Easter falling solely in April contributed to the lack of passenger growth. Political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa region is another possible contributing factor.

Dipping slightly were March airfreight numbers. Down 0.3 percent from March 2010 averages, experts point to the tragedy in Japan as a key reason for this.