Dublin-based budget airline Ryanair is to cancel all flights to three German airports during summer 2025, blaming high taxes and airport fees imposed by the German government.
In a press release published on October 10, 2024, the low-cost carrier announced a 12% reduction in German flights for Summer 2025, resulting in the cancellation of 1.8 million seats and 22 routes.
Under the new plans, Ryanair will shut down its bases at Dortmund Airport (DTM), Dresden Airport (DRS) and Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ). The airline will also cut its services at Hamburg Airport (HAM) by 60%, resulting in 22 routes being removed.
Prior to this, on August 27, 2024, Ryanair announced that it would reduce its traffic at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) by 20%. This decision led to the cancellation of six routes, namely those to Brussels, Chania, Kaunas, Krakow, Luxembourg and Riga.
In the press release, Ryanair stated that the cancellations are a result of the German government’s ongoing inability to lower aviation taxes, security fees and air traffic control charges.
“Germany has only recovered 82% of its pre-Covid traffic volume, making it by far the worst-performing aviation market in Europe,” said Eddie Wilson, Ryanair’s CEO. “Due to these high government taxes and fees, as well as Lufthansa’s high-price monopoly, German citizens and visitors now pay the highest airfares in Europe.”
According to Wilson, Ryanair is ready to expand in Germany, but rising air traffic tax, security and air traffic control fees “are causing these capacities to move to other EU countries”.
“Minister Wissing must act now, otherwise German citizens will continue to pay the highest airfares, in the worst recovered air transport market in Europe,” Wilson added.
As of October 2024, Ryanair has issued multiple warnings that Germany could lose another 10% of its capacity for Summer 2025 if the German government does not roll back the recent 24% increase in Aviation Tax, address soaring Air Traffic Control (ATC) charges and defer a 50% increase in the Security Fee cap.
