Ryanair will shut its Berlin operating base from 24 October 2026, halving its winter schedule to the German capital and relocating seven aircraft to other European airports as it cites soaring aviation taxes and airport fees.
The airline says passenger numbers will fall from 4.5 million to 2.2 million a year, with flights served from October by planes based elsewhere. Staff are being offered transfers to other European bases.
Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson called German aviation “broken,” noting the government admits the system is uncompetitive yet has no strategy to cut taxes or fees despite repeated warnings about lost traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade.
Since 2019, Ryanair has closed bases in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart, and stopped flights to Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund, resulting in the loss of 13 aircraft from those locations.
The German trade union Verdi criticised the move as a “purely profit-oriented corporate strategy,” with its federal aviation division head Dennis Dacke saying employees had long been treated like “disposable commodities” even as location decisions were driven by short-term profit.
The announcement comes amid industry turmoil from surging jet fuel prices following the Gulf conflict, which have more than doubled since February, prompting Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary to warn of potential cancellations of up to 10% of late summer flights if shipping does not normalise.
While many European airlines have hedged fuel costs, American Airlines said rising jet fuel would add $4 billion to its expenses this year, erasing forecast profits.
Environmentalists and rail advocates noted the shift could boost rail travel, with Jon Worth of the Guardian suggesting the demise of Ryanair at Berlin presents an opportunity for more passengers to take trains, citing direct connections to Amsterdam, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Berne, Stockholm and Paris, plus a new daytime service to Copenhagen starting this summer.
Ryanair’s corporate statement confirmed the closure of its seven-aircraft Berlin base, attributing the decision to Berlin Airport’s notice of another 10% fee increase from 2027 to 2029, adding to a 50% rise since Covid.
The airline said it would reallocate the aircraft to lower-cost airports in EU states that have abolished aviation taxes, naming Sweden, Slovakia, Albania and Italy as examples.
Berlin’s traffic has fallen by nearly 30% since 2019, leaving it the “most failing airport in Europe,” according to Ryanair, which blamed the decline on unjustified fee hikes and a lack of incentives to recover demand.
The airline stressed that affected pilots and cabin crew can secure alternative roles across its network, as it plans to accelerate growth in jobs and traffic by shifting the aircraft to zero-tax jurisdictions.
Why is Ryanair leaving Berlin now?
Ryanair cites a combination of rising aviation taxes, repeated airport fee increases and collapsing passenger numbers since 2019, which together make Berlin uncompetitive compared to other European airports lowering fees to attract traffic.
What happens to the flights and staff?
The winter schedule to Berlin will be cut by half from October 2026, with the seven aircraft moved to other bases; staff are being offered transfers to other European locations within the Ryanair network.
Could this benefit rail travel to Berlin?
Analysts and advocates suggest the reduction in low-cost flights may encourage more passengers to take direct trains to Berlin, which already connects to major European cities and will gain a new daytime service to Copenhagen this summer.
