If you were planning on visiting Germany’s iconic Christmas markets this winter, it might be worth booking your flights ASAP.
Ryanair has just announced plans to ditch 24 routes to and from the European country, cutting nearly 800,000 seats in total.
Nine German airports will be affected, including major tourist destinations Berlin and Hamburg, along with smaller hubs in Memmingen, Baden-Württemberg, Cologne, Frankfurt-Hahn, Dortmund, Dresden and Leipzig.
While the airline hasn’t provided specific dates, a post on its website confirmed tickets to these locations would not be made available for the 2025 winter season.
It’s also unclear whether existing flights are set to be axed, but if a flight you’re currently booked in for is cancelled, you should contact Ryanair directly for more information.
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The Irish carrier has blamed ‘exorbitant’ air tax costs on the controversial move.
In a statement, it accused the German government of jeopardising ‘connectivity, jobs, and tourism’ in region by failing to address high aviation taxes and rising operational costs, including fees for air traffic control, airport management, and security.
Ryanair’s CMO, Dara Brady, said: ‘Germany’s air travel market is broken and needs an urgent fix. Due to its excessive access costs, Germany has only recovered 88% of its pre-Covid traffic, which is by far the worst recovery of any major European market.’
He claimed that until these costs were addressed, ‘German air traffic will simply continue to decline whilst other more competitive European countries (with no aviation taxes) benefit from turbocharged Ryanair traffic growth – at Germany’s expense.’
This move follows a growing trend for the budget airline, which has regularly butted heads with state-owned airport operators – most recently scaling back operations in Belgium.
In 2024, Ryanair initiated its split from German airspace, axing routes to Dortmund, Dresden, and Leipzig.
In September, it then scrapped 16% of its flights to Spain due to a breakdown in relations between Ryanair and the Spanish airport operator Aena.
Ryanair’s chief executive Eddie Wilson labelled Aena’s decision to hike fees for carriers as totally ‘unjustified.’
An announcement was then made that Ryanair would be cutting over one million seats on Spanish flights as a result – 400,000 to and from the Canary Islands alone.
The Canaries are among the most popular destinations for British tourists, with the islands depending massively on the tourism industry for economic growth.
In 2024, Brits accounted for almost 40% of international visitors, totaling at around 6.3 million people.
Alternative European winter breaks
If your German travel plans have been scuppered, Metro has some alternative suggestions for a cosy European break this winter.
- Nowhere does ‘winter wonderland’ quite like Santa’s home, Lapland. While Rovaniemi – the official home of Santa Claus in Finnish Lapland – can be pretty pricey, this scenic train route could save you £400.
- Budapest remains one of Europe’s most beloved cities, and for good reason. With cheap flights and well-priced hotels, you can jet off and enjoy the iconic Hungarian thermal spas for less than what a weekend in Cornwall would cost.
- Fed up of winter and still chasing the sun? Check out our list of the nine European destinations that are still warm at this time of year.
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