Ryanair has rejected claims made by the pilot union Cockpit, which suggested that the decision to wind down the Berlin base might be an attempt to weaken employee representation. A spokesperson for the airline stated that these accusations are untrue.
The company clarified that the closure of the Berlin base is solely due to increasing operating costs at BER Airport, which stem from a combination of high airport fees, aviation taxes, and security charges. The spokesperson described Berlin as “Europe’s most failed airport,” noting that passenger traffic is continuing to decline because of the hopelessly uncompetitive costs. She further added that the union VC would recognize this fact if they made the effort to travel from Frankfurt to Berlin.
Cockpit had previously complained on Friday that the closure was announced in April, just two weeks after the works council had achieved success before the Federal Labour Court. This timing led the union to question whether strictly economic reasons were the sole factors driving the decision.
