The German aviation industry is at a crossroads: high location costs, an air traffic tax that continues to rise, and complex regulations are threatening Germany's competitiveness as a central European aviation location. The airport association ADV (Association of German Commercial Airports) is sounding the alarm and calling for urgently needed relief for airlines and airports. Without an immediate course correction, the association says, Germany risks falling further behind in European air traffic. Germany's position in air traffic under pressure Ralph Beisel, Managing Director of the ADV, sums up the situation: "German airports are still missing 15 percent of travelers compared to the pre-coronavirus period." While air traffic in other European countries is slowly returning to pre-crisis levels, Germany is still struggling with significant declines in passenger numbers. A problem that is not only attributable to the pandemic: high taxes and fees are also placing a massive burden on the aviation location. A worrying trend can be seen from the airport association's current figures. In the past five years, German airports have lost a total of 308 routes. In 2023, there were only 2.075 scheduled flights - far fewer than in the years before the pandemic and even fewer than a decade ago. "Germany as an aviation location is being set back by a decade due to misguided policies," said Beisel. This development not only endangers the range of flight connections, but also international competitiveness. The international comparison: Germany is losing ground While countries like Sweden are abolishing their air traffic taxes as part of a well-considered reform policy - the Swedish ticket tax will be abolished without replacement from 2025 - Germany is taking the opposite path. In this country, air traffic taxes have been increased several times. This additional financial burden