Freight traffic at Frankfurt airport dropped by 25 per cent in December from a year ago – the third successive monthly decline at Europe¡¯s largest air cargo hub – as the global economic downturn slashed German exports. The cargo contraction, to around 142,000 tonnes, was three times the rate of decline in November and nearly five times the year-on-year decrease in tonnage in October which had brought nine months of solid growth to an end. Fraport AG, Frankfurt¡¯s operator, is expecting further declines through 2009, however, as the airport¡¯s main customer, Lufthansa Cargo, trimmed capacity by 10 per cent at the beginning of the month following a 20-per cent decline in its December throughput. Cargo volumes at Fraport¡¯s six airports in Germany, Turkey, Peru and Bulgaria, fell 24 per cent in December from a year ago but grew 0.9 per cent for the full year.