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Ryanair has confirmed it is cutting the number of flights it operates to and from Berlin after aviation tax "has more than doubled".

The budget airline announced on Friday that it intends to close its seven aircraft Berlin base on October 24, which will reduce flights to and from Berlin by 50% in its winter schedule. The seven Berlin based aircraft will instead be reallocated to lower cost airports in other EU states that have abolished aviation taxes, like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania and Italy. Ryanair said the cuts come as a direct result of Berlin Airport's recent notice that it will again raise fees by another 10% from 2027 to 2029.

The airline said Berlin Airport's "already high" airport fees have gone up by 50% since the Covid outbreak, even as its traffic collapsed by 30% from 36 million in 2019 to 26 million in 2025.

Announcing the closure of the Berlin base on Friday (April 24), Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said: "We regret to announce this planned closure of our 7 aircraft Berlin base from 24 Oct 2026, but we have no alternative following the Airport's latest 10% fee increase to its already high airport fees. This comes on top of the 50% increase in Berlin's airport fees since 2019.

"Despite Berlin Airport losing 30% of its pre-Covid traffic thanks to its excessive airport charges, and Germany's stupid aviation tax regime, they have now decided to increase charges by a further 10% which will result in the loss of more than 2m Ryanair seats p.a. and 7 based aircraft. Ryanair will still serve Berlin but on a/c based outside Germany and our Berlin traffic will fall by 50% from 4.5m to 2.2m pax in 2027."

Ryanair branded the fee increases as "unjustified and excessive", saying Germany relies on high aviation taxes and airport costs "to combat hopeless inefficiency".

Since 2019, Germany's "harmful aviation tax" has more than doubled from €7.30 to €15.50 per passenger, German security fees have doubled from €10 in 2024 to €20 per pax by Jan 2028, and German ATC fees have trebled from €1 to €3.30 per passenger, according to the airline.

The high costs and recent notice of a further 10% increase in airport fees due by 2029 means that all Ryanair Berlin based pilots and cabin crew have now "regrettably" been notified of the airline's intended base closure from October 24, 206.

Ryanair said staff consultations will begin shortly and all flight crew can secure alternative positions elsewhere in its network across Europe.

The airline also warned that further cuts across Germany are "now inevitable", saying it has "no alternative" but to switch to more competitive markets elsewhere in Europe.

Mr Wilson added: "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 70m passengers p.a. (from 149m in 2019 to 216m 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.

"Efficient operations and competitive airport fees are the foundation which enable Ryanair to deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity for airports and regions. This is impossible at Berlin following the German Govt's failure to abolish its harmful aviation tax and Berlin Airport's decision to again increase its already high airport fees.

"Ryanair has many other lower cost airports, and zero aviation tax countries across Europe competing for scarce capacity growth, all of whom are taking action to reduce access costs by abolishing aviation taxes, lowering airport charges and reducing ATC fees.

"With no meaningful cost reform in Berlin or in Germany nationally, we have no alternative but to switch aircraft from Germany to other more competitive markets elsewhere in Europe while Germany and Berlin Airport continue to fail."