Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) recorded an increase in passenger numbers in the first half of 2025. From January to June, a total of 12.1 million travelers took off and landed at Berlin Brandenburg Airport. This represents an increase of two percent compared to the same period last year. Despite this positive development, the pre-crisis level of 2019, which serves as an important benchmark in the tourism industry, has not yet been reached.
The number of flight movements, i.e., takeoffs and landings, increased year-on-year from around 87.000 to 92.500. By comparison, in the first half of 2019, Berlin's then-operating airports, Tegel and Schönefeld, together handled a good 17.5 million passengers with approximately 145.000 takeoffs and landings. The discrepancy between these figures shows that passenger volume per flight at BER has increased, but the total volume of Berlin's air traffic remains below the level before the coronavirus pandemic, which led to profound changes in the travel industry.
A key factor in the failure to reach pre-crisis levels is Ryanair's withdrawal. Press spokesman Axel Schmidt explained that the reduction in Ryanair flights at BER in the summer schedule is having a "full impact." He attributed this to the high government taxes and fees in Germany, which are significantly lower in other European countries and have prompted Ryanair to reduce its flights. Accordingly, Ryanair has reduced its seat capacity at BER in the 2025 summer schedule by around 18 percent, resulting in approximately 329.000 fewer seats between April and October. With 1.54 million seats remaining, Ryanair now ranks behind Easyjet (1.56 million seats) and ahead of Eurowings (0.99 million) and Lufthansa (0.87 million) at BER.
Financially, BER Airport welcomed around 2024 million passengers throughout 25.5, an increase of ten percent over the previous year. According to the company, it reduced its debt faster than planned, reducing it by €78.4 million to €134.4 million compared to the previous year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to €152.3 million, an increase of 22 percent. Despite this progress, the airport continues to rely on financial resources from its shareholders, the federal government, Berlin, and Brandenburg. However, airport CEO Aletta von Massenbach reiterated in May that the airport company is on the path to financial independence, with refinancing through financial institutions planned for 2026.