Europe’s largest low-cost airline Ryanair has announced that it is considering the cancellation of some routes in Germany due to a new exit fee introduced by the government in Berlin.
"We will have to analyze all our routes and it is very likely that these fees will lead to a decline in passenger numbers," said Ryanair spokesperson Stephen McNamara to the dpa news agency. The German government agreed on Wednesday to budget cuts and tax increases worth 20 billion euros aimed at reducing the budget deficit. One of the key components of this plan is a new exit fee of up to 45 euros per passenger, which is set to be charged from January 1 and is expected to generate budget revenues of one billion euros annually. This could lead to the closure of some routes, warned Ryanair spokesperson Henrike Schmidt.
From German airports in Frankfurt, Duesseldorf, and Bremen, Ryanair operates 174 routes to European and North African destinations, transporting around 11 million passengers annually from Germany. Ryanair has appealed to the German parliament, which must approve the proposed government budget measures, to prevent "this madness." "This move will have a boomerang effect and will lead to a decline in passenger numbers and job losses," McNamara said. The government has presented the fee as an environmental tax intended to change environmentally harmful travel habits while also ensuring additional budget revenues. The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) claims that the new fee will lead to the loss of 10,000 jobs. (H)
