The British low-cost airline Easyjet currently sees little room for significant growth in Germany due to high aviation fees. Capacity at Berlin Airport will be increased by around seven percent this summer, said Easyjet board member and European boss Thomas Haagensen in Berlin. But he criticized the fact that the location costs associated with flying, which are high compared to international standards, prevented noticeable growth. “Germany is not competitive in Europe.”
The prospect of further rising costs in Germany is a risk not only for Easyjet, but also for other airlines. That’s why people tend to invest in other markets with high demand and lower costs. “Germany is in the process of pricing itself out of the market,” said Berlin’s tourism chief Burkhard Kieker. Politicians must exercise moderation here and stimulate aviation with incentives. Berlin is number three in Europe for city tourism behind London and Paris. “Without Easyjet this wouldn’t have happened.”
The British airline has been flying to and from Berlin since 2004 and has had around 84 million passengers on board since then. After Air Berlin went bankrupt, Easyjet was still by far the number one in Berlin with 34 aircraft. In the wake of the corona pandemic, the British massively reduced their fleet, first to 18, then to eleven machines. “We have bottomed out,” said Easyjet Germany boss Stephan Erler. You can and want to grow. But the question of costs plays a major role here.