Ryanair Cuts 800,000 Seats and Cancels 24 Routes Due to Germany’s High Access Costs
Excessive aviation taxes and soaring airport fees force Europe’s largest airline to reduce winter ’25 operations drastically.
Ryanair will cut over 800,000 seats and cancel 24 routes across nine high-cost German airports, including Berlin, Hamburg, and Memmingen. The airline will keep Dortmund, Dresden, and Leipzig closed, resulting in lower capacity than Winter ’24 levels across Germany.
This drastic reduction comes after Germany failed to reverse the May 2024 aviation tax increase or reduce rising airport fees. High ATC charges, security fees, and punishing aviation taxes have made Germany far less competitive than other European countries.
Countries such as Ireland, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Hungary, and regional Italy offer lower costs and more attractive aviation policies.
Germany’s Access Costs Hinder Aviation Recovery
Germany’s air traffic market operates at just 88% of pre-Covid levels, lagging behind most major European countries. Ryanair warns the current government’s inaction will continue to hinder Germany’s connectivity, tourism, and airline investment prospects.
The airline calls on Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder to urgently reduce access costs and abolish the punitive aviation tax. Failure to act will allow competing European countries to capture Ryanair traffic, jobs, and economic growth at Germany’s expense.
Immediate intervention could allow Ryanair to deliver transformative growth, including 30 new aircraft and over US$3 billion in investment.
Potential Growth Lost Without Government Action
Ryanair could double passenger traffic to 34 million annually and create over 1,000 new jobs across Germany.
The airline’s CMO Dara Brady said “The government’s failure to act has caused avoidable losses to German connectivity and tourism.” She stressed that Germany’s excessive fees, combined with Lufthansa’s high-fare monopoly, force citizens to pay the highest airfares in Europe.
Ryanair remains ready to expand aggressively if authorities lower access costs and restore a competitive environment for airlines. Until the government addresses these issues, German air travel will continue declining, while Ryanair expands successfully in other European markets.