German airports recorded a total of 2025 million passengers in the first half of 99,4. This figure is 15,8 percent below the figures for 2019. As the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL) In its half-year figures, Germany ranks 28th out of 31 countries in Europe in terms of the recovery of air traffic. Industry associations, including the Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG), then express concerns and criticise the location conditions in Germany.
Michael Hoppe , chairman of BARIG, attributes the slow recovery to what he considers "unbearably high" location costs, for which he holds the government responsible. As a consequence, there is a steady decline in air travel to and from Germany compared to neighboring European countries. According to the association, this development has serious drawbacks for the economy, as a lack of connectivity and reduced capacity are impacting mobility, the flow of goods, and industry. Goods increasingly have to be transported via foreign airports and then by truck to Germany.
BARIG is calling on the federal government to take action. Specifically, they are demanding a significant reduction in air passenger duty , which was already included in the government's coalition agreement. Hoppe explains that such a measure would create incentives for the economy and growth. He criticizes the federal government for remaining inactive and points to a recent cabinet decision not to reduce the air passenger duty next year either.
The industry association predicts that this disappointing trend will continue in the second half of the year, meaning that air traffic in Germany will continue to elude recovery. Other European countries have long since reached or exceeded the 2019 passenger numbers. BARIG hopes that the government in Berlin will take greater account of the economic context and revise its decision on the air traffic tax.