Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has announced that relocating seven aircraft to other hubs will reduce passenger numbers in Berlin from 4.5 million to 2.2 million annually, with flights to and from the city being operated by aircraft based at other airports starting in October. Staff at the facility are being offered transfers to other European bases.
Eddie Wilson, CEO of the airline's main operating company, Ryanair DAC, stated: "German aviation is 'broken.' The government acknowledges it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to reduce aviation taxes or high airport fees—despite Ryanair's warning that Germany will lose traffic, connectivity, jobs, and trade," he said.
He emphasized that Ryanair was forced to close bases in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Düsseldorf earlier as well.
The German union Verdi criticized Ryanair's plans as a purely profit-driven corporate strategy. Dennis Dacke, head of Verdi's federal aviation department, said that employees at the airline have been treated as disposable commodities for too long, while the company based its location decisions on short-term profit interests.
The announcement of the withdrawal comes as the aviation industry is in turmoil, grappling with rising costs following the conflict in the Gulf. The price of jet fuel has more than doubled since the conflict began in late February.