Ryanair to close 7 aircraft Berline base from October 2026
Ryanair-1
Berlin’s traffic collapsed by 30% since covid as costs rise 50% with another additional 10% rise from 2027.
Ryanair announced that it intends to close its 7 aircraft Berlin base on October 24, 2026, reducing the number of flights it operates to/from Berlin by 50% in its winter schedule. All 7 Berlin based aircraft will be reallocated to lower cost airports in other European Union states that have abolished aviation taxes like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania & Italy.
This is a result of Berlin Airport’s recent notice that it will again raise fees by another 10% from 2027 to 2029 when its already high airport fees have increased by 50% since Covid even as Berlin’s traffic collapsed by 30% from 36 million in 2019 to 26 million in 2025. A further 10% will result in the loss of more than 2 million Ryanair seats p.a. and 7 based aircraft.
According to the airline, German aviation policy relies on high aviation taxes and excessive airport costs to combat inefficiency. Since 2019, reported by the airline, Germany’s aviation tax has more than doubled from EUR 7.30 to EUR 15.50 per passenger; the security fees have doubled from EUR 10 in 2024 to EUR 20 per pax by January 2028; German ATC fees have trebled from EUR 1 to EUR 3.30 per passenger; and airport fees have sky-rocketed – especially at Berlin where published airport charges have increased by 50% since Covid, with a further 10% increase due by 2029.
Ryanair Berlin based pilots and cabin crew received notification of the intended base closure from October 24, 2026. Staff consultations are said to begin shortly. All flight crew are said to secure alternative positions elsewhere in the Ryanair network across Europe since the airline will accelerate growth (in jobs and traffic) by switching these 7 Berlin aircraft to lower cost airports in zero aviation tax countries elsewhere in Europe.
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said, “Ryanair will still serve Berlin but on aircraft based outside Germany and our Berlin traffic will fall by 50% from 4.5 million to 2.2 million pax in 2027.”
“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. Today Ryanair announces the planned closure of our 7 aircraft base in Berlin with further cuts across Germany now inevitable. These cuts in high tax, high cost Germany come at a time when Ryanair is growing traffic across Europe by almost 70 million passengers p.a. (from 149 million in 2019 to 216 million in 2026) since Covid, but our Berlin traffic will now collapse by at least 50% in 2027 as a result of Germany’s harmful aviation tax and Berlin airport’s high and rising fees,” Wilson added.
