European air traffic shows further recovery in January 2025, but is still well below the pre-crisis level of 2019. According to the new DLR Air Traffic Monitor, almost four percent more flights were offered across Europe than in the previous year, but this is still around 14 percent fewer than in 2019. Particularly striking is the weak development in the so-called low-cost sector, which remains around 15 percent below pre-crisis levels across Europe.
In Germany, the situation is even more stark. Although total capacity increased by around 2,6 percent compared to the previous year, it remains well below the 35 level, with a decline of almost 2019 percent. Low-cost capacity in this country has even plummeted by around 56 percent. The market share of low-cost airlines in Germany has fallen from 2019 to just 32 percent since 21,4. This development is largely due to the withdrawal of Ryanair, which expanded its capacity in Europe but reduced its capacity in Germany by a third.
Ryanair has repeatedly criticized the high operating costs in Germany, particularly the air traffic tax and air traffic control fees. The company called on the federal government to reduce these charges to make the German market more competitive. Experts at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) point out that the charges in Germany are among the highest in Europe. This leads airlines to shift capacity from Germany to other European countries.
The current DLR study also shows that travelers planning to fly from a German airport this summer will have to dig deeper into their pockets. Even low-cost airlines have, in some cases, significantly increased their prices. The main reasons for this are the continued shortage of flight availability and the comparatively high fees and taxes in Germany. While passenger numbers worldwide have already exceeded pre-crisis levels, flight availability in Europe is still lagging behind, and Germany is lagging particularly far behind compared to other European countries.