BER Airport Scraps Evening Noise Surcharge to Win Back Airlines After Ryanair Exit

Following Ryanair's closure of its Berlin BER base on 24 October 2026, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has moved swiftly to improve its competitiveness for airlines. The Flughafengesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg (FBB) applied to abolish the noise surcharge levied on flights arriving or departing between 22:00 and 23:59, and Brandenburg's infrastructure ministry has approved the change. Previously, airlines paid surcharges of between 100% and 300% of base noise fees during this evening window regardless of aircraft type, discouraging carriers that need to base aircraft overnight for early-morning operations. Under the revised fee structure, overall BER noise charges will rise by 10%, but the flat evening penalty is removed and replaced with incentives rewarding quieter aircraft. The extreme 500% surcharge for flights between midnight and 05:00 remains unchanged. Approximately 37 aircraft on average use the 22:00–midnight window. BER is also exploring further measures to counter the 'Ryanair effect': the airport now forecasts around 25.7 million passengers in 2026, down from 26.1 million in 2025, with further declines anticipated for 2027.