Ryanair announces 11 new routes in Germany after cut to ticket taxes
Europe’s largest low-cost airline, Ryanair, has added some flights to its summer schedule in Germany after the government’s move to lower taxes on flight tickets.
The Irish company on Thursday announced 11 new routes and a total of 300,000 additional seats, mainly from smaller airports such as Weeze, Memmingen and Bremen, with some additional departures also planned from Cologne-Bonn Airport.
However, major cities such as Hamburg and Berlin are to see flights drop by 20% and 5% respectively, with Ryanair complaining that the airports have not reduced fees.
Ryanair official Eddie Wilson said the additional services are a response to the government’s reduction in ticket taxes, which was decided in November, but the number of flights on offer in the summer of 2026 remains lower than the previous year.
The airline is calling on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration to continue its “positive momentum” and abolish the “harmful” tax on air traffic, while reducing fees for air traffic control and passenger checks.
If the changes are made, Ryanair could double its operations in Germany to serve 34 million passengers per year, the company said.
The budget airline has been a consistent critic of high operating costs in Germany, which has seen its aviation industry fall behind European rivals in recent years.
