Ryanair will close its Berlin base from 24 October 2026 and cut its Berlin winter schedule by 50%, blaming persistently high operating costs and additional fee increases imposed by Berlin Brandenburg Airport. The airline will relocate its seven aircraft from Berlin to lower-cost EU countries.
The closure will reduce Ryanair’s Berlin passenger numbers from 4.5 million to 2.2 million, representing a loss of around 2 million seats annually. Staff affected by the closure will be offered positions at other Ryanair bases across Europe.
Ryanair says charges at Berlin Brandenburg Airport have risen by 50% compared with pre-COVID-19 levels, while passenger traffic at the airport has fallen from 36 million to 26 million. The airline described the airport operator’s decision to introduce an additional 10% increase in charges for the 2027 to 2029 period as “excessive.”
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said the company had “no alternative” but to close its Berlin base. “German aviation is broken. The government admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees – despite Ryanair warning that Germany would lose traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade,” said Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair DAC.
Ryanair’s withdrawal from Berlin follows similar moves by other low-cost carriers. easyJet and Wizz Air have also scaled back operations in Germany in recent years, citing the same cost pressures.
Germany’s coalition government pledged in its coalition agreement to reduce aviation costs, but industry representatives say the country’s aviation sector has lagged behind many others in its post-pandemic recovery. A new regulation set to take effect on 1 July will lower ticket taxes to levels seen before the May 2024 increase, in a move aimed at easing the tax burden and strengthening the sector’s competitiveness.
Industry representatives also warn that the conflict in Iran, rising jet fuel prices, and supply constraints are creating additional challenges for airlines operating in the country.
Photo Credit: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com