Ryanair Cuts 800,000 Seats and 24 Routes from Germany’s Winter 2025 Schedule

Germany

Airline blames high access costs and air travel taxes for reduced operations across nine major airports

Ryanair, Europe’s No. 1 airline, has announced a major reduction in its German winter 2025 schedule, cutting more than 800,000 seats and 24 routes across nine high-cost airports including Berlin, Hamburg, and Memmingen, while bases in Dortmund, Dresden, and Leipzig will remain closed. As a result, Ryanair’s overall capacity in Germany will fall below winter 2024 levels.

Government inaction blamed for decline

The airline cites the German government’s failure to lower excessive access costs and its broken promise to reverse the 24% increase in the air travel tax introduced in May 2024. Ryanair argues that Germany’s combination of high aviation taxes, air traffic control and security charges, and steep airport fees has severely weakened the country’s competitiveness compared to other EU nations.

In contrast, countries such as Ireland, Spain, and Poland have no aviation tax, while Sweden, Hungary, and parts of Italy have abolished theirs to boost travel, tourism, and employment. As a result, Germany remains one of Europe’s slowest-recovering air travel markets, currently at only 88% of pre-COVID traffic levels.

Ryanair calls for urgent reform

Ryanair is urging Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and the federal government to act swiftly to reduce access costs. Without immediate intervention, the airline warns, Germany will continue to lag behind more competitive European markets well into summer 2026.

Should the government roll back and ultimately abolish the air travel tax, Ryanair says it could trigger significant growth, including the stationing of 30 additional aircraft (a $3 billion investment), doubling annual passenger numbers to 34 million, and creating over 1,000 new jobs nationwide.

“Germany’s aviation sector is in crisis”

Speaking from Berlin, Ryanair CMO Dara Brady said:

“It is extremely disappointing that the newly elected German government has already broken its promise to reduce the damaging air travel tax and excessive access costs that are crippling the aviation sector. As a result, Ryanair has been left with no choice but to cut over 800,000 seats and 24 routes across nine expensive German airports. The continued closures of Dortmund, Dresden, and Leipzig represent an entirely avoidable loss of connectivity, jobs, and tourism.”

Brady added that Germany’s aviation market is in urgent need of reform, highlighting that recovery remains far behind other major European countries.

“As long as the government fails to lower the exorbitant air travel tax and the ever-increasing air traffic control, security, and airport charges, Germany will keep losing ground to more competitive countries that benefit from Ryanair’s strong growth — at Germany’s expense.”

Ryanair reiterated its willingness to invest and expand in Germany, provided the government acts decisively to reduce costs and restore competitiveness.

“We stand ready to deploy 30 additional aircraft, double our passenger numbers, and create over 1,000 jobs — but only if Berlin finally delivers the reforms it has long promised,” Brady concluded.