Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair announced on Friday it was closing its base at Berlin's international airport, withdrawing its seven passenger jets stationed in the German capital and halving its flight schedule over alleged plans to raise charges.
The Berlin base will be closed on Oct. 24 this year, the airline said. Flights to the city will continue, but with aircraft based outside Germany.
Ryanair's passenger numbers at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) are set to fall by around half in 2027, from 4.5 million to 2.2 million.
Eddie Wilson, head of Ryanair in Germany, said the decision was in response to a looming increase in Berlin airport fees, and also took aim at Germany's "stupid aviation tax regime."
The airline cited the airport's plans to increase charges again between 2027 and 2029 by 10%, adding that fees have already risen by 50% since the coronavirus pandemic.
The airport's operator rejected the claim and said it was surprised by the announcement, with both sides currently in negotiations. "No such increase in airport charges is planned," a spokesman emphasized.
"German aviation is broken," Wilson said.
"There is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees – despite Ryanair warning that Germany would lose traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade," Wilson argued.
The Ryanair aircraft will be moved to other European Union countries "that have abolished aviation taxes like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania and Italy", the company said.
Flight crew have been informed of the decision to close the Berlin base and "can secure alternative positions elsewhere in the Ryanair network across Europe," the low-cost carrier added.
Wilson said Ryanair had cut all service to three other German airports since 2019 – Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund – and had already relocated aircraft previously based in Frankfurt, Duesseldorf and Stuttgart.
Ryanair and other airlines have lobbied Germany to slash taxes on the aviation industry.
Despite being Germany's largest city, Berlin lags well behind several other airports in the country for total passenger traffic, and the city has struggled to attract carriers.
A brand-new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (BER), which opened in 2020 after years of embarrassing delays and cost overruns, became a laughing stock during its 14-year construction and was seen by many as a symbol of the city's dysfunction.
