Photo: Ryanair Ryanair continues to reduce its operations in Germany. Yesterday (October 8), the company announced that it will stop all flights to and from Bremen Airport starting in April 2027, a move that will reduce the airport by about 500,000 aircraft seats per year.
The decision joins significant cuts already approved in Berlin and Hamburg, and exacerbates the dispute between the airline, airport operators and the German government over aviation costs in the country. It should be noted that the company has issued a further announcement regarding the reduction of the scope of its operations in Austria as well.
According to a Ryanair statement, the cessation of operations in Bremen is due to high costs for air traffic control services, security and airport fees, along with the federal aviation tax. The company claims that the costs make operations at certain German airports less competitive compared to alternatives in Europe, and that the aircraft and capacity we have shared will be transferred to markets where operating conditions are more favorable.
The meaning for Bremen and the surrounding region is a loss of aviation capacity, along with concerns about damage to connectivity, tourism, and economic activity that relies on aviation.
The cuts in Berlin are no less significant. Ryanair announced that it will close its base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) on October 24, 2026, and reduce its flight capacity to and from the German capital by around 50% during the winter flight schedule. The seven Berlin-based aircraft will be transferred to airports in other EU countries.
Berlin Airport BER. Photo: ShutterstockAs part of the move, Ryanair will cancel 12 routes from Berlin this winter, including Bologna, Gran Canaria, Marseille, Palermo, Pisa, Tallinn, Thessaloniki, Vilnius and more. In addition, the frequency of flights on the routes that remain active will be reduced. According to the company, it will continue to fly to and from Berlin, but the scope of its activity in the city is expected to be reduced by about half.
The decision to close the base was announced in April, following the airport operator's announcement of an additional 10% fee increase in 2027-2029. Ryanair claims that airport fees in Berlin have increased by about 50% since 2019.
The cuts in Germany are not limited to Berlin and Bremen. According to the winter schedule published by Ryanair, the company will also reduce its capacity in Hamburg by about 5%. In total, the cuts in Berlin and Hamburg will remove about 700,000 seats from the company's winter flight schedule in Germany, a decrease of about 10% compared to winter 2025.
Meanwhile, Ryanair plans to increase operations at other German airports: capacity is expected to rise 12% at Memmingen and 10% at Cologne. The moves illustrate the company's stated strategy: moving aircraft and capacity from airports where operating costs are high to airports where it believes it can operate flights under better economic conditions.
Ryanair is calling on the new federal transport minister, Stefan Bilger, to abolish the aviation tax and reduce the costs of air traffic control, security and airport fees. The company says the cost reductions will allow it to increase passenger traffic in Germany to 34 million per year, add 30 aircraft to its bases in the country and open new routes and bases.