Low-cost carrier Ryanair announced on 24 April that it will close its Berlin base from October 2026 and halve its winter schedule, citing declining air traffic and rising costs. The seven Ryanair aircraft currently based at Berlin Brandenburg Airport will be reallocated to lower-cost locations.
In a press release announcing the closure of the base, Ryanair called Berlin the most failing airport in Europe. According to the Irish low-cost airline, air traffic has collapsed by almost 30% from 36 million passengers in 2019 to 26 million in 2025. Moreover, Ryanair points out the airport’s 50% fee increase since 2019.
Furthermore, according to Ryanair, aviation fees in Germany as a whole have steeply increased since 2019. The carrier lists three financial pain points in particular:
- Germany’s aviation tax, going up from €7.30 to €15.50 per passenger
- Security fees, doubling from €10 in 2024 to €20 per passenger by January 2028
- ATC fees, trebling from €1 to €3.30 per passenger
“German aviation is broken. The Govt. 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,” said Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson.
The press release goes on to say that the seven aircraft previously stationed at Berlin will be reallocated to lower-cost airports in other EU states as of October. The carrier will prioritise countries such as Sweden, Slovakia, Albania, and Italy. Flight crew will be offered alternative positions in the Ryanair network across Europe.
“Ryanair has many other lower cost airports, and zero aviation tax countries across Europe competing for scarce capacity growth, all of whom are taking action to reduce access costs by abolishing aviation taxes, lowering airport charges and reducing ATC fees. With no meaningful cost reform in Berlin or in Germany nationally, we have no alternative but to switch aircraft from Germany to other more competitive markets elsewhere in Europe while Germany and Berlin Airport continue to fail,” Eddie Wilson continued.
✈️Ryanair has begun phasing out services from its Berlin 🇩🇪Brandenburg base. The LCC saw a drop from 36 million passengers in 2019 to 26 million last year.#Berlin #Ryanair #Airport #closure pic.twitter.com/NvJPMzGKG5
— NextFly (@nextflyapp) April 28, 2026
Contradicting statements
As one of the arguments for the shutdown of its Berlin base, Ryanair also mentions a planned 10% increase in airport fees at Berlin Airport. However, according to the airport organisation, that percentage has never been communicated or projected.
“We are surprised by Ryanair’s announcement at this point in time. We are engaged in ongoing negotiations with the airlines. An increase in airport charges is not planned,” the airport stated in a post on X.
The carrier’s announcement comes shortly after Germany’s Finance Ministry of the Federal Cabinet said it would be rolling back flight taxes to 2024 levels.
