Five past twelve: Industry calls for growth agenda for German aviation

The aviation industry is setting new records and is in a better position than before the coronavirus crisis - with one exception. In Germany, according to Jens Bischof, President of the German Aviation Association and CEO of Eurowings Aviation GmbH at the ITB Berlin Convention on Tuesday, the recovery since coronavirus has been much more subdued. This is mainly due to the costs of government regulations, which have more than doubled since 2019. His message was therefore clear: the industry is at a tipping point and it is imperative that something is done. "It's five past twelve, not five to twelve," emphasised Bischof, stating that proposed solutions were already on the table: The aviation tax must be abolished and other costs and fees must also be significantly reduced. Bischof cited the example of Sweden, which has decided to abolish the air traffic tax, as a role model.

Environmental protection with innovative technologies - not by cutting back

The environmental impact of air traffic must be reduced with more modern aircraft and more sustainable fuels, but not by reducing passenger numbers and flight routes. Bischof was sceptical about the current climate protection regulations. They would create a greater burden on airlines, lead to higher ticket prices and put providers of direct flights at a disadvantage compared to those of connecting flights. In 2024 alone, the costs of government regulations increased by 1.2 billion Euros - in total, airlines flying to and from Germany had to bear around 4.5 billion Euros in such costs last year.

Restoring competitiveness

Aircraft, emphasised Dara Brady from Ryanair, are mobile goods; they are used wherever it is profitable for the airlines. As a business location for Ryanair, Germany is therefore competing with more than 35 other countries. "At Ryanair, we are planning passenger growth of 100 million over the next ten years," explained Brady. Where this will take place depends on the general framework conditions. "I believe that the new German government has a wonderful opportunity to make the country competitive again for business," Brady assured.

Growth agenda for the aviation industry

Dr. Pierre Dominique Prümm from Frankfurt Airport reported that his airport had lost around 25 per cent of its hub connections due to the poor framework conditions. This is a bad sign, not only for aviation, but for the entire German economy and shows that Germany urgently needs a growth agenda for the aviation industry. The airports are equipped for further growth through investment - but reducing costs and improving framework conditions is the task of politicians.