Overview
- Germany offered only about 89–90% of its 2019 seat capacity in 2025, compared with 106% across Europe and 108% excluding Germany, according to the BDL.
- Passenger traffic at German airports rose 3.6% to 219.6 million in 2025, with declines in domestic and low‑cost point‑to‑point routes and growth driven by tourism.
- Air freight volumes in Germany edged up 1.6% to nearly five million tonnes as companies stocked ahead of U.S. tariff increases, and Frankfurt regained Europe’s top freight airport position.
- The BDL attributes Germany’s lag to higher state‑related burdens, saying costs rose by €1.1 billion to about €4.3 billion in 2025, and it urges action beyond the planned air‑traffic tax cut on July 1, 2026.
- The association warns of scarce and costly sustainable aviation fuel and proposes an EU per‑passenger climate levy, while environmental groups criticize tax relief as harmful to climate goals.