Ryanair to scale back Berlin operations, blames German airport taxes

Irish budget airline Ryanair will cut its operations at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) by around 20% starting next summer due to high airport fees, the company announced on Tuesday.

The number of Ryanair aircraft based in Berlin will drop from nine to seven and six routes - the Belgian capital Brussels, Chania on the Greek island of Crete, Kaunas in Lithuania, Kraków in Poland, Luxembourg and the Latvian capital Riga - will be discontinued.

The exact timing of the fleet reduction and its impact on local employment remain unspecified.

Each aircraft typically supports around 30 jobs, according to Eddie Wilson, the manager responsible for Ryanair's core business.

The airport operator on Tuesday said it regretted Ryanair's decision, while acknowledging the airline's clear criticism of the high fees.

"The state air traffic tax alone has more than doubled since 2019," the operator noted.

The entire industry has long been vocal about this issue but "this affects not just BER but German air traffic as a whole," it added.

Currently, Ryanair is the largest airline operating from BER, surpassing EasyJet in market share, according to the airport.

Despite expanding its services this summer and increasing passenger numbers by 15% last year, Ryanair's future plans remain uncertain, especially concerning its planned maintenance hangar at the airport.

This move echoes previous adjustments by airlines due to high costs. EasyJet also reduced its fleet at BER in 2022, resulting in the loss of around 200 jobs.

Wilson noted that air traffic at BER has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, with passenger numbers still around 70% of what they were before the pandemic. High taxes and fees are blamed for stifling growth and affecting airline offerings.

In addition to Berlin, Ryanair operates in Weeze, Cologne, Frankfurt-Hahn, Nuremberg, Baden and Memmingen. It remains to be seen if reductions will occur at these locations as well.

Germany's ADV airport association warned that Germany risks losing its competitive edge in air transport due to high costs.

Ralph Beisel, the association’s chief executive, highlighted that while other European airports are thriving, regulatory burdens in Germany are hampering expansion and reducing available flight connections.