The Irish airline Ryanair, which claims to be Europe's largest, is planning a significant expansion of its business in Germany. The company announced on Wednesday that it intends to more than double its annual passenger traffic in the country to 34 million passengers. This expansion, which also includes investments of three billion US dollars in new aircraft, the creation of 1.000 jobs, and the opening of new routes, is contingent upon the new German government completely abolishing the air traffic tax and halving air traffic control and security fees.
Ryanair argues that Germany has one of the weakest aviation markets in Europe, achieving only 80 percent of its pre-crisis level. The airline cites excessive access costs, consisting of taxes, air traffic control and security fees, and high airport charges, as the main reason for this. While Ryanair welcomes the current government's reversal of the increase in the air traffic tax as a step in the right direction, it stresses that this is not enough to halt the downward trend in the German aviation market. Germany remains too expensive compared to other European countries, especially in light of other EU countries that are further reducing their access costs through tax abolition.
Eddie Wilson of Ryanair called on the German government to abolish what he considers the harmful air traffic tax and to at least halve air traffic control and security fees to enable a sustainable recovery of German aviation and the overall economy. He pointed to examples from other European countries that have been able to attract targeted investment from airlines by abolishing air traffic taxes. If the German government implements the requested measures, Ryanair is ready to implement the growth plan it has already presented and make a significant contribution to Germany's economic recovery in the areas of aviation, tourism, and employment.
Ryanair sees the current situation as a unique opportunity for the German federal government to eliminate the structural problems in German air transport and restore its competitiveness. The airline emphasizes that aligning access costs with European levels, including through the abolition of air traffic taxes as in Sweden, Hungary, and parts of Italy, as well as a significant reduction in air traffic control and security fees, is essential for a sustainable recovery of the sector.
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