Ryanair cuts 700,000 seats in Germany and closes Berlin base

Ryanair is reducing its operations across Germany for the winter 2026 schedule, eliminating 700,000 seats in Berlin and Hamburg, which represents a 10 percent decline compared to winter 2025. The low-cost carrier confirmed the closure of its Berlin base, where seven aircraft are stationed, effective 24 October.

From Berlin, twelve routes are dropped entirely this winter: Bologna, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Marseille, Palermo, Pisa, Reggio Calabria, Tallinn, Thessaloniki, Trieste, and Vilnius. Frequencies on remaining city pairs out of the capital will also be trimmed. At Hamburg, capacity is set to drop by 5 percent. The airline additionally announced a complete pullout from Bremen planned for summer 2027.

Ryanair attributes this network reduction to elevated operating expenses in Germany, pointing to air traffic control charges, security fees, airport tariffs, and the national aviation tax.

Conversely, the operator plans capacity growth at other German regional stations, with seat offerings increasing by 12 percent in Memmingen and by 10 percent in Cologne/Bonn.