By Anna Mackenzie
(Reuters) -Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport said on Thursday that first-quarter core profit more than doubled as passenger numbers rebounded, but the results missed market expectations as high staffing and energy costs weighed.
Fraport shares were down 5.4% at 0750 GMT, one of the worst performers on the German mid-cap index.
The group, which operates 28 airports around the world, reported a 123.9% year-on-year rise in quarterly core earnings (EBITDA) to 158.3 million euros ($175.4 million). This was 21% below the pre-pandemic 2019 figure.
It said the results were boosted by an ongoing recovery in passenger number across its global network of airports, with traffic at its home-base airport in Frankfurt growing by 56% in the first quarter.
But analysts at Jefferies said that adjusted for one-offs in the aviation division, Fraport's EBITDA was 8% below consensus due to higher staff and energy costs.
"Cost inflation remains the key headwind for Fraport," Jefferies wrote in a note to clients.
After staff shortages caused chaos at European airports last year, the group has been focusing on a recruitment drive across Europe in order to prepare for increasing footfall this summer.
Fraport said it expected passenger traffic in Frankfurt to grow between 15% and 25% this summer.
"We are cautiously optimistic that we can maintain operations as stable as during the recent Easter peak," Fraport's CEO Stefan Schulte said.
The company confirmed its full-year guidance, expecting passenger traffic in Frankfurt to reach up to about 90% of the levels seen pre-pandemic.
($1 = 0.9024 euros)