Condor to end Dubai flights from Berlin and Stuttgart

International

Daily services from both German airports will be discontinued as the airline points to high location costs and challenging economic conditions

Condor will discontinue its daily flights from Berlin and Stuttgart to Dubai as part of its winter schedule. The German leisure airline says the decision comes amid continued economic pressure on the global aviation industry and renewed its call for lower aviation-related costs in Germany.

Passengers affected by the cancellations will be contacted by the airline and offered rebooking or refund options in accordance with the applicable conditions of carriage.

Daily Dubai services to be withdrawn

The decision affects Condor’s connections between Dubai and two major German airports. Both Berlin and Stuttgart currently feature daily Dubai services in the airline’s schedule, but these will no longer be operated as planned during the winter season.

Condor did not provide further details on the precise timing of the withdrawal or the number of passengers affected.

Condor points to costs in Germany

Alongside the route decision, Condor used the announcement to highlight what it considers an increasingly difficult competitive environment for airlines operating from Germany.

The carrier argues that high government-imposed location costs place a particular burden on domestic airlines. Condor says international connectivity and open competition remain important but should be based on comparable market conditions.

The airline also called for questions surrounding additional traffic rights to take account of reciprocity and competitive neutrality as well as their effects on German airlines and economic activity in Germany.

Call for relief for German aviation

Condor linked the withdrawal to the broader debate over the competitiveness of Germany as an aviation location. The Federal Government has stated its intention to strengthen the country’s aviation sector, while the airline argues that this objective now needs to be accompanied by concrete reductions in location costs.

According to Condor, lower costs would improve the ability of German airlines to invest, expand their operations and maintain employment in Germany.

The cancellation of the Berlin and Stuttgart routes illustrates how the debate over aviation taxes, fees and competitive conditions is increasingly translating into concrete network decisions by airlines.