The European Commission has officially approved state aid of six million euros for Erfurt-Weimar Airport. Thuringia's only international airport has relied on regular subsidies from the state treasury for years to cover its operating deficit.
The state of Thuringia, which acts as the majority shareholder of the operating company, notified the Brussels authorities in December 2025 of its intention to support the regional airport with further budgetary funds until April 2027. The release of these funds is based on the EU guidelines for state aid to airports and airlines, which, under certain conditions, allow for temporary deficit coverage.
The overarching goal of the financing plan is for the airport to be fully self-sustaining from April 2027 onwards, covering its operating costs without government support. This presents a considerable challenge, as the airport has been severely impacted by external market shocks in the past. In particular, the bankruptcies of airlines Air Berlin and Germania, which were previously key pillars of Erfurt's flight schedule, as well as the widespread downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic, had a massive impact on flight operations. Between 2015 and 2024, the European Commission had already been required to approve a total of €11,6 million in operating aid for the Thuringian airport.
For the current calendar year, the airport company forecasts passenger numbers of up to 300.000, while the EU Commission, in its approval decision, assumes a medium-term capacity base of around 314.000 passengers. To secure this continuous upward trend in passenger numbers and increase revenue, management is focusing more on the tourist charter segment. The current summer flight schedule is dominated by classic holiday destinations such as Palma de Mallorca, Antalya in Turkey, and the Egyptian seaside resort of Hurghada. A further expansion of the flight schedule is planned for early autumn: starting in September, regular flights to the Greek islands of Rhodes and Crete will broaden the regional offerings.
The approval from Brussels' competition authorities is subject to strict conditions, as the reduction of state subsidies must be degressive. This means that the annual subsidy from Thuringian state funds must be gradually reduced in line with the projected growth in flight connections. Erfurt-Weimar Airport must demonstrate in the coming months that it can achieve the targeted financial independence on time by optimizing its cost structure and increasing flight-related revenues, as no further bridging loans of the same scope will be permitted after the current subsidy period expires in spring 2027.