BERLIN TRAFFIC COLLAPSES 27% SINCE COVID AS COSTS RISE 50% WITH ANOTHER 10% RISE FROM 2027
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, today (Fri 24 April) announced that it intends to close its 7 a/c Berlin base on 24 Oct ’26, reducing the number of flights it operates to/from Berlin by 50% in its winter schedule. All 7 Berlin based aircraft will in this case be reallocated to lower cost airports in other EU states that have abolished aviation taxes like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania & Italy. This is a direct result of Berlin Airport’s recent notice that it will again raise fees by another 10% from 2027 to 2029 when its already high airport fees have increased by 50% since Covid even as Berlin’s traffic collapsed by 30% from 36m in 2019 to 26m in 2025. German aviation policy has failed its citizens as it relies on high aviation taxes and excessive airport costs to combat hopeless inefficiency, evidenced by the fact that since 2019:
- Germany’s harmful aviation tax has more than doubled from €7.30 to €15.50 per passenger.
- German security fees have doubled from €10 in 2024 to €20 per pax by Jan 2028.
- German ATC fees have trebled from €1 to €3.30 per passenger.
- Airport fees have sky-rocketed – especially at Berlin where published airport charges have increased by 50% since Covid, with a further 10% increase due by 2029.
Thanks to Berlin Airport’s unjustified and excessive fee increases of 50% since 2019, its air traffic has collapsed by almost 30% from 36m pax in 2019 to just 26m in 2025, leaving Berlin the most failing airport in Europe. Instead of introducing lower cost traffic recovery incentives for airlines to recover this traffic collapse, Berlin Airport has decided to further increase its already high prices by another 10% making Berlin hopelessly uncompetitive versus competitor European airports who are cutting fees to grow, and where Govt’s are abolishing travel taxes.
Because of Berlin’s high costs and its latest fee increase notice, regrettably all Ryanair Berlin based pilots and cabin crew received notification today of the intended base closure from 24 Oct ’26. Staff consultations will begin shortly. All flight crew can secure alternative positions elsewhere in the Ryanair network across Europe since Ryanair will accelerate growth (in jobs and traffic) by switching these 7 Berlin a/c to lower cost airports in zero aviation tax countries elsewhere in Europe.
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said:
“We regret to announce this planned closure of our 7 aircraft Berlin base from 24 Oct 2026, but we have no alternative following the Airport’s latest 10% fee increase to its already high airport fees. This comes on top of the 50% increase in Berlin’s airport fees since 2019. Despite Berlin Airport losing 30% of its pre-Covid traffic thanks to its excessive airport charges, and Germany’s stupid aviation tax regime, they have now decided to increase charges by a further 10% which will result in the loss of more than 2m Ryanair seats p.a. and 7 based aircraft. Ryanair will still serve Berlin but on a/c based outside Germany and our Berlin traffic will fall by 50% from 4.5m to 2.2m pax in 2027.
German aviation is broken. The Govt. 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. Since 2019, Ryanair has been forced to close its bases in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart (resulting in the loss of 13 based aircraft) in addition to stopping all flights to Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund. Today Ryanair announces the planned closure of our 7 aircraft base in Berlin with further cuts across Germany now inevitable. These cuts in high tax, high cost Germany come at a time when Ryanair is growing traffic across Europe by almost 70m passengers p.a. (from 149m in 2019 to 216m in 2026) since Covid, but our Berlin traffic will now collapse by at least 50% in 2027 as a result of Germany’s harmful aviation tax and Berlin airport’s high and rising fees.
Efficient operations and competitive airport fees are the foundation which enable Ryanair to deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity for airports and regions. This is impossible at Berlin following the German Govt’s failure to abolish its harmful aviation tax and Berlin Airport’s decision to again increase its already high airport fees. Ryanair has many other lower cost airports, and zero aviation tax countries across Europe competing for scarce capacity growth, all of whom are taking action to reduce access costs by abolishing aviation taxes, lowering airport charges and reducing ATC fees. With no meaningful cost reform in Berlin or in Germany nationally, we have no alternative but to switch aircraft from Germany to other more competitive markets elsewhere in Europe while Germany and Berlin Airport continue to fail.”