Air traffic under pressure: Germany's location costs are rising rapidly!

Air traffic under pressure: Germany's location costs are rising rapidly!

In November 2025, air traffic in Germany can expect a noticeable revival. Loud Airliners.de improvements are finally occurring. But the challenges persist: high taxes and unstable competitive conditions are ensuring a slow upswing. While the number of passengers in this country is estimated at around 80% of the level before the Covid-19 pandemic, other European countries have almost returned to pre-crisis levels.

A look at current developments: The German aviation industry has come under pressure. The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) recently published a report that highlights the high location costs that are being discussed by the German Aviation Research Society (GARS). More about this can be found in a workshop that took place in Berlin on May 19, 2025, where the future challenges for Germany as an aviation location were discussed. Among other things, reform approaches and the tax structure were examined, reported DLR.

Challenges for Germany as an aviation location

The report of the BMDV draws a sobering conclusion: The location costs in Germany are enormously high and rose by 38% between 2019 and 2024 - the European average by only 26%. These costs are depressing competitiveness and could have a fatal impact on the industry, not to mention the already noticeable declines in passenger traffic and competition from cheaper hubs such as Amsterdam and London.

With a clear focus on air traffic control and competition issues, attempts are being made to find new paths. A workshop panel included experts such as Marek Bekier from the ACR Group and Professor Dr. Hans-Martin Niemeier from the Bremen University of Applied Sciences, who throws possible reform approaches into the ring. During the final discussion with representatives from science, politics and practice, it became clear how important a decisive reform of the tax structure and an improvement in planning and competition conditions are.

The way into the future

The slow recovery of German air traffic is not only due to high costs. A significant decline in business travel, the shift of travelers to rail and geopolitical uncertainties are also contributing. Ways out should be worked out together with the new federal government. According to forecasts, a possible abolition of the air traffic tax for European flights could bring between 2.6 and 5.1 million additional passengers to Germany - a ray of hope for the industry.

In summary, it can be said that air traffic in Germany has a lot of catching up to do, but with the right steps and investments, the industry could soon position itself better and flourish again. While the figures for intra-European passenger traffic from October 2023 to September 2024 expect around 57.7 million passengers, the challenge remains to close the gap of around 20 million passengers to the pre-crisis level. The coming months will show whether the measures developed will pay off.