Airlines cancel flights: Is Germany losing touch?

Anyone who books a plane ticket online is buying more than just a seat on the plane. Customers also pay for airport security checks, air traffic control and air traffic tax. Depending on the length of the route, taxes cost between 13 and 60 euros per ticket.

The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL) complains that nowhere in Europe is flying as expensive as in Germany. The result: Airlines have canceled many connections at German airports in recent years.

The offer has shrunk significantly since 2019, says BDL spokesman Alexander Klay to the ARD financial editorial team. "At that time there were a total of around 1,700 routes at German airports. Today there are still a good 1,500. And the routes that have remained are now served much less frequently than was once the case."

German air traffic is lagging behind across Europe

According to statistics from the air transport association, around one in five connections has been canceled since 2019. Hardly any other country in Europe has recovered as slowly from the consequences of the corona pandemic as Germany. According to the BDL, in the first half of 2026 the number of seats available reached 85 percent of the pre-pandemic level. Germany ranks 28th out of 31 European countries.

The situation for the German aviation market is tense, industry expert Cord Schellenberg also stated in an interview with the ARD financial editorial team: "There is less offer for business travelers and therefore a smaller variety of destinations overall."

Business travelers are relying more on trains

The railway has overtaken the airlines, especially on routes within Germany. According to data from the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry, far more business travelers travel by rail than by air.

According to industry expert Schellenberg, it is particularly corporate customers who make flights economical with higher prices: "Private travelers often book long-term and at cheaper prices. They alone cannot fill many flights."

Ryanair is cutting capacities

Low-cost airlines in particular are feeling the effects of the high location costs in Germany. The higher taxes and duties are, the less ends up in the airlines' coffers. The low-cost airline Ryanair, for example, is reacting to this. In the winter flight schedule, the Irish airline has reduced its seating capacity at German airports by ten percent compared to the previous year.

In Berlin, around half of the flights are canceled. The airport in Bremen is hit even harder. Ryanair flights will no longer be flying there from next summer. Most recently, the airline carried around 400,000 passengers annually in Bremen. If this business disappears, it will threaten the companies located around the airport. Investments in the affected regions are at stake.

One could try to bring other airlines to the location, says aviation expert Schellenberg. But that won't make up for the cuts: "The richness and breadth of the route network that Ryanair offered from Bremen will be eliminated. Now there are concerns at the airport about how many jobs can still be retained there."

Kerosene prices make tickets more expensive

The persistently high prices for kerosene are also putting airlines under economic pressure. Profits have recently fallen at low-cost airline Ryanair. The company is considering not increasing employee salaries any further and thinning out the crew. Ryanair wants to further increase ticket prices.

The situation is similar at Lufthansa. Although the group reports stable demand from customers, it expects ticket prices to rise by double digits next year. The company is trying to absorb the costs. Lufthansa achieved this in the third quarter. The largest German airline has earned more thanks to more expensive tickets and good business with maintenance and freight. However, Lufthansa has once again capped its profit target for the current year.

Consultant Gerald Wissel from Airborne Consulting also sees the companies themselves as having a duty in this situation: "The airlines should definitely look - especially Lufthansa - to increase efficiency and reduce their own costs in order to be economically viable again."

Merz holds out the prospect of tax cuts

The high location costs remain an issue for politics. Only in the summer did the Bundestag decide to reduce the aviation tax. The Federal Association of the Aviation Industry is pushing for the tax to be further reduced or eliminated entirely.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has recently shown himself to be open to this. During a visit to the IHK in Berlin, the CDU politician said that Germany was not doing itself any favors if air traffic switched to locations abroad.