Ryanair will cut its German capacity by 10 per cent this winter and will close its Berlin base later this month, the carrier announced on Thursday (8 October).
The budget airline will remove 700,000 seats from its schedule, citing “excessive” costs at airports in Berlin and Hamburg. It also criticised the German government’s “exorbitant air traffic tax”, which it said, “continues to render these airports and the German air transport market completely uncompetitive”.
Ryanair also confirmed previously announced plans to close its seven-aircraft Berlin base on 24 October. The move will halve its capacity to and from the German capital and result in the cancellation of 12 routes to destinations in France, Italy, Spain, Estonia and Lithuania. Frequencies on its remaining Berlin routes will also be reduced.
Capacity at Hamburg airport will also fall by 5 per cent, while Ryanair will continue to expand at airports in Memmingen (up 12 per cent year on year) and Cologne (up 10 per cent). The carrier said both airports are “actively working to reduce their costs to increase connectivity”.
“Germany is Europe’s largest air travel market with the worst recovery because the German government continues to ignore its air travel competitiveness crisis,” Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said in a statement.
“While we will continue to fly to and from Germany’s capital, passengers will have significantly less choice and weaker connectivity, as well as paying higher fares.”
The carrier added: “Ryanair has the aircraft and the demand to grow in Germany, but air passenger duty, high airport fees, and security and air traffic control costs are driving capacity, investment and jobs to more competitive markets across Europe.”
Ryanair is calling on the German federal government and new transport minister Steffen Bilger to “take urgent measures” to reduce air passenger duty and airport access costs.