Low-cost behemoth Ryanair is making good on its threat to abandon airports with higher landing fees than the famously frugal airline is willing to pay, after it announced that it was shuttering its base at Berlin Brandenburg International Airport and labeled Germany “hopelessly uncompetitive.”
The decision, which will see seven Boeing 737s moved from Berlin to other countries that have abolished aviation taxes like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania, and Italy, does come with real-world consequences for Ryanair employees.
Ryanair estimates that 210 pilot and cabin crew jobs will be lost in Berlin, with the airline now commencing the laborious task of staff consultations required under German law. The base is set to close in October 2026.
The airline is not, however, completely abandoning Berlin. Ryanair still plans to fly to the German capital, using aircraft from other bases, but the number of flights operated by Ryanair to Berlin will be slashed by around half of today’s schedule.
Ryanair claims Berlin Brandenburg has bumped up its fees for airlines to use the airport by around 50% in the last six years. The final straw came when the airport allegedly threatened to further increase fees by another 10% from 2029.
A spokesperson for the airport, however, said they were surprised by Ryanair’s decision, refuting the airline’s claim that any decision on fees had yet been made, and saying that negotiations with airlines were still ongoing.
Ryanair has, though, given high-tax airports plenty of advance notice that it would abandon or curtail flying in favor of building capacity in markets where aviation taxes are being cut.
Last year, Ryanair slashed flights to some regional airports in Spain because of a row about airport taxes imposed by the national airport operator, Aena. Ryanair also threatened to completely abandon the Azores over increased landing fees.
Ryanair has long had an issue with German aviation taxes, and the airline doesn’t have nearly as big a presence in the country compared to the rest of Europe.
“German aviation is broken,” slammed Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair’s main airline division. “The Government admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees.”
“Efficient operations and competitive airport fees are the foundation that enable Ryanair to deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity for airports and regions,” Wilson continued.
“This is impossible at Berlin following the German Government’s failure to abolish its harmful aviation tax and Berlin Airport’s decision to again increase its already high airport fees.”
Catching a Ryanair flight to or from Germany is becoming increasingly difficult, with the airline already grounding all flights to the German cities of Dresden, Leipzig, and Dortmund.
In addition, Ryanair bases in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart have all been shuttered, although the airline does still fly to these airports from other bases.
