Flying is particularly expensive in this country due to high fees and taxes. Airlines are increasingly switching to other countries. One airport is particularly affected at the moment.
The next setback for Hamburg Airport: After the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, Eurowings is also canceling flights in the Hanseatic city. As a first step, more than 1,000 flights will be removed from the program for 2025, explains Jens Bischof, head of the Lufthansa subsidiary. The domestic German connection to Cologne-Bonn will be discontinued for the summer flight schedule. Six other destinations in Europe and North Africa would also no longer be served.
Like Ryanair manager Eddie Wilson, Bischof also cites the high cost burden at German airports as the reason for the cancellations. He says: “The reduced offer will significantly weaken Hamburg’s direct connection and make flying from the Hanseatic city noticeably more expensive. This development could have been avoided. But the airport’s plans for a completely disproportionate increase in fees leave us no choice.”
According to its own information, Eurowings is the market leader in Hamburg and currently has 16 aircraft stationed there. The offer so far includes 70 destinations. At the same time as the cancellations, Eurowings introduced new connections from Cologne and Berlin to Dubai. The day before, Ryanair announced that it would cut its offer in Hamburg by 60 percent. Wilson called on Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and the federal government to abolish the aviation tax and reduce air traffic control fees. Eurowings also wants to check connections at other German airports.
Airport rejects allegations
The airport company rejected Bischof’s accusations about airport fees. These only make up a small proportion of 4 to 6 percent of the airlines’ total costs, said airport boss Christian Kunsch. However, the other location costs such as air traffic control, aviation security and air traffic tax, which together accounted for around a quarter, would have almost doubled.
The currently planned increase in airport fees would only increase the costs per passenger by 2.30 euros to a “competitive level” that is comparable to airports such as Düsseldorf, Berlin or Stuttgart, said Kunsch. The airport needs the higher fees in order to be able to pay increased costs for energy and higher tariff salaries.
Source: Stern
