Germany loses Ryanair flights after the company protests against rising travel costs!
The Irish airline Ryanair announced the cancellation of 24 flight routes at nine German airports this winter, accusing the German government of refusing to lower air travel taxes. The decision will lead to a significant reduction in the company's activities within Germany, as flights will temporarily stop from Dortmund and Leipzig airports.
According to the company, winter operational capacity will be reduced by more than 800,000 seats compared to last year. The affected airports include Berlin, Hamburg, Memmingen, and Cologne. Ryanair's marketing director Dara Brady confirmed that Dresden and Leipzig airports will temporarily exit the company's network. The number of Ryanair aircraft operating in Germany will also decrease from 34 to 29 planes.
Several major destinations will be affected by this decision, as flights from Berlin to Krakow, Brussels, or Tel Aviv will no longer be available, and flights from Frankfurt-Hahn to Seville and Venice will also be halted. Ryanair blamed the "air travel tax" imposed by the German coalition government, claiming it has made travel in Germany expensive.
The CEO of the company, Eddie Wilson, criticized what he described as the "government's ongoing failure" to reduce high access costs, pointing out that passengers in Germany pay around 55 euros in taxes and fees before boarding the plane, while the average price of a Ryanair ticket in Europe is only 35 euros. The company added that the government failed to reverse the 24% increase in air travel tax that was implemented in May 2024.
Brady said it is "very disappointing" that the new German government has abandoned its promise to reduce taxes and lower airport costs, emphasizing that the decision will harm the German aviation sector and lead to job losses and weaken tourism. He pointed out that countries like Ireland, Spain, and Poland have canceled or reduced similar taxes to boost tourism and economic growth, while Germany continues to fall behind.
Ryanair warned that Germany has now become one of the slowest recovering aviation markets in Europe, with operational capacity still 12% below pre-COVID levels. The company urged the government to act quickly, emphasizing that excessive taxes and fees create a "high-price monopoly" dominated by Lufthansa.
Ryanair added that if the government takes measures to reduce costs, the company is ready to make a massive investment in Germany, including adding 30 new aircraft worth over 3 billion dollars, doubling the number of passengers to 34 million annually, and creating more than 1,000 new jobs across the country.