Ryanair to Shut Berlin Base Over 'Excessive' Airport Fees
The Irish carrier confirmed it will withdraw its seven-aircraft Berlin operation and redistribute the fleet to lower-cost EU destinations, while simultaneously cutting its Berlin winter schedule in half. Broader reductions to Ryanair's wider German network are also planned, compounding the blow to the country's aviation sector.
Ryanair pointed to a staggering 50% surge in Berlin Brandenburg Airport charges relative to pre-pandemic levels — even as the airport's passenger throughput collapsed from 36 million to 26 million travelers. The operator's decision to layer on an additional 10% fee increase covering the 2027–2029 period drew particular condemnation from the airline, which branded the move "excessive."
The human cost of the closure will be partially cushioned, with affected pilots and cabin crew offered reassignment to other Ryanair bases elsewhere in Europe.
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said the airline had "no alternative" but to exit Berlin, warning the financial arithmetic was irreversible. He projected that passenger numbers on Ryanair's Berlin routes would crater from 4.5 million to 2.2 million — a net loss of roughly 2 million seats per year.
Wilson reserved his sharpest criticism for Germany's broader aviation policy framework.
"German aviation is broken. The government admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees – despite Ryanair warning that Germany would lose traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade," he said.
Ryanair's exit is not an isolated case. Fellow budget carriers EasyJet and Wizz Air have each trimmed their German footprints in response to the same cost pressures, underscoring a sector-wide reckoning with Germany's aviation economics.
Germany's new coalition government has pledged in its coalition agreement to bring aviation costs down, though industry bodies warn the country's recovery from the pandemic continues to trail peer markets. A separate regulatory measure due to take effect on July 1 will roll back ticket taxes to pre-May 2024 levels, offering a degree of relief — though critics argue it falls well short of what is needed.
Further headwinds are mounting. Industry representatives cautioned that the Iran war, climbing jet fuel prices, and tightening supply constraints are piling additional pressure on carriers operating across the region.
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