Why the German aviation market is broken | DW News

Description: Germany's aviation market is lagging behind Europe, operating at just 79% of its pre-pandemic capacity. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary attributes this decline to exorbitant fees and taxes, compelling airlines to hike ticket prices or eliminate routes. DW journalists Clifford Coonan and Kassandra Sundt spoke to him and the boss of Berlin's airport, Aletta von Massenbach, to find out more.

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[siyuli]

I relocated from Barcelona to Munich and found the flight tickets super expensive here compared to Madrid and Barcelona. Air routes from Munich to big cities, such as Vienna, Brussels, Budapest, Prague, Geneva, and Warsaw, are monopolised by LH groups or their partners, not to mention other cities...

[Bungle-UK]

Berlin Airport talking about managing costs really is comedy gold.

[truongvu]

It's not only about Ryanair gaining more profit. I am a German citizen and flight connections in Germany are terrible. You have to spend hours looking for a suitable flight, if there is any flight available. BER LCY just got discontinued as well. There are very few airports in Germany with good connections to other parts of Europe, FRA is one of them but it's getting less and less attractive, high prices and weird schedule.
I agree on limiting domestic flights but international flights are seeing a decline as well which makes it more expensive for everyone. Not only in terms of money but also effort and time.

[mertinanc]

Düsseldorf is by far one of the worst airports amongst the airports which claim to be a modern airport - But Dusseldorf charging 4400€ whilst a much modern Istanbul airport charges 522€ is beyond any rational

[Psi-Storm]

Ryanair bullies countries into reducing airport fees to earn more profit. If a tourist region dares to raise airport taxes, they remove that destination from the flight plan to punish that behaviour and get them to revert the price increase. Germany on the other hand is in a much stronger position. We have 80 million citizen that want to fly somewhere for vacation at least once a year. If Ryanair doesn't want that business, then they get replaced. Nobody is not flying to Germany because the ticket cost is 15€ higher.

[atedejong]

German and its netzero policy. I dont think Germany wants to boost aviation.

[Neo-]

All fees are sky high in Germany, not only aviation fees.

[cameron]

I honestly couldn't care less what the Ryanair CEO thinks.

[frederickasa]

Ryanair CEO complaining about fees 😂 funniest thing ever

[gallardoo]

Same here in the US certain airports charging more fees are losing traffic and business when nearby airports are cheaper and get the business and only 15 to 20 miles away for $100 less a ticket i fly out of the cheaper ones

[lostcreek]

What a concept. If you don’t have a bunch of B.S. taxes. Company’s can grow, hire people, pay better wages.

[JohnDoe-xzmw]

i have zero knowladge of the subject but my gut feeling is if ryanair is pissed, you probably doing things right.

[pouya_da]

From what I understood, they don’t plan to reduce costs and improve the situation. Their problem is that they don't see the problem.

[wolfganggottsch]

I live near Flensburg/Flensborg and had booked Ryanair flights from Billund to Bari in May and to Alghero in October. Unfortunately both flights were cancelled. From here Billund is nearer than Hamburg and much more convenient.

[chetanshettigar]

Everything is high fee in Germany!! It costs 1.5€ to take a pee in Frankfurt hauptbahnhof! Whereas Zeil shopping centre costs 50 cents!!

[benichou]

He declares taxes on Ireland and pronounced the same discours on france!

[noskill_jeremy]

I'd take easyjet over ryanair any day anyways. ;-)

[adamanthony]

I couldn't imagine doing business with the German people without lo cost carriers into Cologne. Surface travel is congested, infrastructure across the ground route needing maintenance, load factors higher on aircraft ... investment is coming into lean burn jets.

So yes I do believe in the merits of Ryanair

[Ivan-zfwd]

But but but think of the shareholders... What a joke

[navajojohn]

ULCC airlines help keep fares down and offer cheap fares if so inclined.