Berlin Brandenburg Airport GmbH has released its traffic figures for June and a preliminary balance sheet for the first half of 2026. According to official data, 2,28 million passengers used BER airport in June of this year.
This represents a slight decrease of 0,2 percent compared to the same month last year. The busiest single day of the reporting period was Friday, June 26, 2026, with 87.535 passengers. For the entire first half of the year, passenger numbers totaled 11,9 million, a decrease of 1,2 percent compared to the first half of 2025.
Parallel to the declining passenger numbers, the number of flight movements in air traffic over the German capital region also decreased. In June 2026, just over 17.000 takeoffs and landings were recorded, representing a decrease of 0,6 percent compared to June of the previous year. The air freight segment, however, showed a contrasting trend. Cargo handling increased by two percent compared to the same month last year, with a total of approximately 4.400 tons of air freight processed at BER last month. Nevertheless, the freight business remains at a moderate level compared to international standards.
Aviation analysts and industry observers interpret the ongoing stagnation and slight decline in passenger numbers at BER (Berlin Brandenburg Airport) as evidence of structural problems at Germany's air transport hub. While many major European airports are expected to report significant growth in 2026, reaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels, Berlin's airport remains mired in a slump. Key reasons cited include the comparatively high government infrastructure costs, increased air traffic taxes, and the reduction of flight offerings by large low-cost carriers like Ryanair and Easyjet, which are increasingly shifting their capacity to other European countries.
The operating company faces ongoing financial strain due to stagnant air traffic revenues in the current fiscal year. Slower passenger growth is making it difficult to reduce the substantial debt incurred during the airport's construction phase. To offset the lower revenues from flight operations, management is increasingly focusing on stabilizing commercial revenues through the leasing of retail and restaurant space in the terminal and parking fees. However, this could negatively impact the airport's appeal to budget-conscious travelers.