Ryanair Quits Germany’s High Costs, Moves to Cheaper Hubs

Ryanair has announced reductions to its winter operations in Germany for the 2025/2026 season.

The carrier will be cutting approximately 10 percent of its operations—around 800,000 seats with 24 routes across nine airports in Berlin, Hamburg, and Memmingen.

Ryanair has pointed to Germany’s high airport fees as the primary reason for its planned reductions.

The airline considers these fees among the highest in Europe. The situation worsened after the German government introduced an aviation tax, which increased per-passenger charges and added to airlines’ operational costs.

The airline has long criticized Germany's aviation tax and high airport charges, arguing that they hinder growth and competitiveness. Despite repeated calls for reform, the German government has not reduced the fees, leading to the airline's decision to scale back operations.

Ryanair plans to reallocate resources to other European countries with more competitive operating costs.

Additionally, in September 2025, Ryanair announced a 16 percent cut to its Spanish routes for the winter season. This reduction follows a dispute with Aena, the Spanish airport operator, which plans to raise airport fees by 6.5 percent starting March 2026.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash