Ryanair has called on the German government to cut taxes for airlines and reduce airport fees as Germany “struggles to recover” from coronavirus.
The low-cost carrier claims air traffic taxes, and fees on security and air traffic control, are too high and that “the Lufthansa monopoly’s high fares are hindering the recovery of traffic in Germany, which is lagging far behind the rest of Europe at less than 75 per cent of pre-Covid levels”. Ryanair says this is “only way” to reach pre-pandemic traffic volumes.
The airline believes it could “double” its traffic in Germany from 16 million to 34 million passengers over the next six years if the government introduced “competitive taxes and airport charges and puts growth at the heart of Germany’s post-Covid recovery”.
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, said: “The German aviation market is broken and urgently needs to be repaired if it is to grow again.
“German aviation taxes and fees are among the highest in Europe, but the government is proposing to increase these fees even further.
“As a result of these high taxes and fees, and Lufthansa’s high fares, Germany’s post-Covid recovery is lagging far behind the rest of Europe, forcing German passengers to have less choice and pay the highest fares in Europe.
“Germany can recover and grow again if the government cuts its excessive taxes – including aviation tax, security and air traffic control fees – and makes Germany’s regional airports more competitive so that low-cost airlines like Ryanair [can] offer growth, choice and low prices to German passengers.”
Image credit: Piotr Mitelski/Ryanair
