Ryanair says to cut Berlin flights, blaming taxes

Budget airline Ryanair said Friday that it would reduce flights to and from Berlin starting in October and relocate aircraft based in the German capital, citing comparatively high costs and taxes.

Ryanair will have 50 percent fewer flights to and from Berlin in the budget carrier's winter flight schedule, which starts from October 24, the Irish airline said in a statement.

Seven aircraft that are currently based in Berlin will be moved to other European airports, it said.

Berlin-based pilots and flight crew were told notified of the decision Friday and will have the chance "to secure alternative positions elsewhere in the Ryanair network across Europe".

Chief executive Eddie Wilson said the decision was in response to a looming increase in Berlin airport fees, and also took aim at Germany's "stupid aviation tax regime".

The Ryanair aircraft will be moved to other European Union countries "that have abolished aviation taxes like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania and Italy", the company said.

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Wilson said Ryanair had cut all service to three other German airports since 2019 -- Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund -- and had already relocated aircraft previously based in Frankfurt, Duesseldorf and Stuttgart.

Ryanair and other airlines have lobbied Germany to slash taxes on the aviation industry.

Despite being Germany's largest city, Berlin lags well behind several other airports in the country for total passenger traffic, and the city has struggled to attract carriers.

A brand-new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (BER), which opened in 2020 after years of embarrassing delays and cost overruns, became a laughing stock during its 14-year construction and was seen by many as a symbol of the city's dysfunction.

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