Ryanair to cut flights at Birmingham Airport as airline set to close base in popular European country

Ryanair is set to axe half of its flights from a major European hub - affecting flights to and from Birmingham Airport.

The budget carrier has officially announced the closure of its seven-aircraft operating base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), effective 24 October 2026.

The move will result in a 50 percent reduction of the airline’s flight capacity to and from the German capital,

Services from London, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh will all be affected.

Ryanair operates direct flights from Birmingham to Berlin multiple times a week.

Flights typically depart in the morning or early evening, taking roughly 1 hour 55 minutes.

Eddie Wilson, Ryanair DAC CEO, said: "We regret to announce this planned closure of our 7 aircraft Berlin base from October 24, 2026, but we have no alternative following the Airport's latest 10 percent fee increase to its already high airport fees.

"This comes on top of the 50 per cent increase in Berlin's airport fees since 2019."

Mr Wilson went on to say: "Efficient operations and competitive airport fees are the foundation which enable Ryanair to deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity for airports and regions."

He continued: "This is impossible at Berlin following the German Govt's failure to abolish its harmful aviation tax and Berlin Airport's decision to again increase its already high airport fees.

"With no meaningful cost reform in Berlin or in Germany nationally, we have no alternative but to switch aircraft from Germany to other more competitive markets elsewhere in Europe."

As a result of these cutbacks, Ryanair's passenger figures are forecast to plummet from 4.5 million to 2.2 million by next year.

The budget carrier has blamed the reductions on escalating airport fees in Berlin.

Airport charges have jumped by 50 per cent since the pandemic, with an additional 10 per cent increase looming, Ryanair has cautioned.

The announcement comes as Ryanair reveals it's hiring 100 additional cabin crew at its London Stansted hub, forming part of its bold strategy to transport 300 million passengers by 2034.