Tourexpi
German air traffic still 11 percent below pre-Covid levels
Ryanair,
Europe’s largest airline, has published its July traffic update for Germany,
showing that the country remains the slowest to recover from the pandemic.
Excessive access costs – including the high aviation tax, air traffic control
charges, security fees and airport costs – continue to undermine
competitiveness.
Traffic
at costly airports such as Dresden and Leipzig, where Ryanair has ceased
operations, has fallen to 60% and 74% of pre-Covid levels. Berlin, constrained
by a night-flight ban, remains at just 71%. Data from the German Aviation
Association (BDL) confirm the trend: around 60 aircraft have already been
withdrawn from the German market due to high costs.
The
German market currently recovers at only 89% of pre-Covid levels, making it the
weakest in Europe. This stands in stark contrast to countries such as Italy,
Sweden, Ireland, Hungary and Poland, where governments cut access costs and
abolished aviation taxes to stimulate post-pandemic growth.
Ryanair
CEO Eddie Wilson said Germany is falling behind its competitors because of high
costs and an unreformed aviation tax. “If the government abolished this
unjustified tax and reduced charges, Ryanair would immediately double traffic
and invest $3 billion in new aircraft, routes and jobs.”
Image
Credit: © AA
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