Ryanair Closes Berlin BER Base, Dropping 12 Routes

On 24 October 2026, Ryanair closed its operational base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), withdrawing seven stationed aircraft and reducing its Berlin winter schedule by approximately half. Twelve direct routes are eliminated entirely: Bologna, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Marseille, Palermo, Pisa, Reggio Calabria, Tallinn, Thessaloniki, Trieste, and Vilnius will no longer be served from BER by the carrier. Ryanair attributes the move to massively increased airport fees since the pandemic, higher security and air traffic control charges, and Germany's air traffic tax. Warsaw Airport has overtaken BER in annual passenger numbers — 26.1 million in 2025 — and Ryanair is relocating capacity to lower-cost markets. BER's operating company says the airport will still fly to around 140 destinations with approximately 70 airlines. Six of the twelve dropped routes will be partly covered by competitors: Eurowings plans to station two additional aircraft at BER and will add Bologna, among others. For 2026, BER now projects around 25.7 million passengers, down from 26.1 million in 2025, with further declines forecast for 2027 as the full Ryanair effect is felt throughout the winter schedule.