Ryanair has announced plans to close its Berlin base from October 2026, a move that will halve passenger numbers and likely impact cheap flights to Germany from London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh. The budget carrier cited soaring aviation taxes in Germany as the driving force behind its departure.
Base Closure Details
Seven aircraft will be relocated to alternative hubs, slashing Berlin passenger numbers from 4.5 million to 2.2 million. Employees at the base are being offered the opportunity to transfer to other European locations. The airline confirmed those aircraft would be repositioned at "lower-cost airports in other EU states that have abolished aviation taxes like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania, and Italy." British travellers are expected to bear the brunt of the move, with flights to Birmingham, Manchester, London, and Edinburgh all affected.
Ryanair insists that "this is a direct result of Berlin Airport's recent notice that it will again raise fees by another 10% from 2027 to 2029, when its already high airport fees have increased by 50% since Covid, even as Berlin's traffic collapsed by 30% from 36m in 2019 to 26m in 2025."
CEO Statement
Ryanair DAC Chief Executive Eddie Wilson stated: "We regret to announce this planned closure of our seven aircraft Berlin base from 24 Oct 2026, but we have no alternative following the airport's latest 10% fee increase to its already high airport fees. This comes on top of the 50% increase in Berlin's airport fees since 2019. Despite Berlin Airport losing 30% of its pre-Covid traffic thanks to its excessive airport charges, and Germany's stupid aviation tax regime, they have now decided to increase charges by a further 10%, which will result in the loss of more than 2m Ryanair seats p.a. and 7 based aircraft. Ryanair will still serve Berlin but on a/c based outside Germany and our Berlin traffic will fall by 50% from 4.5m to 2.2m pax in 2027."
Wilson added: "German aviation is broken. The Government admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees, despite Ryanair warning that Germany would lose traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade. Since 2019, Ryanair has been forced to close its bases in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart (resulting in the loss of 13 based aircraft) in addition to stopping all flights to Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund."
Reactions and Implications
German trade union Verdi has condemned Ryanair's proposals, arguing that they represent a "purely profit-oriented corporate strategy." Ryanair's withdrawal from Berlin could prove a significant boost for the rail industry, according to European railway policy analyst Jon Worth. He told the Guardian: "The demise of Ryanair at Berlin airport should mean an opportunity for more passengers to take trains to Berlin instead." While rail journeys are generally lengthier, they produce considerably less pollution compared to air travel. Berlin is already well-connected by direct rail services to Amsterdam, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Bern, Stockholm and Paris, with a brand new daytime route to Copenhagen launching this summer.
Ryanair has a well-established history of pressuring European governments to reduce aviation taxes. Last week, the low-cost carrier urged the Austrian Government to scrap its €12 aviation levy by 1 May, warning that it risked causing a "decline in airlines, routes and traffic serving Austrian airports." The airline argued that the €12 tax has rendered "Austria uncompetitive," particularly as nations including Albania, Italy, and Slovakia have chosen to abolish aviation taxes, reduce ATC fees, and roll out growth incentive schemes aimed at cutting airport costs for carriers.
