Hessen’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Kaweh Mansoori (SPD), has stated his opposition to expanding air traffic rights for Arab airlines in Germany, arguing that such an increase would be detrimental to Germany’s overall economic standing. Speaking to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group, Mansoori highlighted that, for instance, Emirates would likely process its air traffic through its Gulf hub rather than using Germany. Furthermore, allowing non-European hub airlines to receive preferential treatment, or “roll out a red carpet,” in Germany would lead to economic output moving elsewhere, while the same air traffic volume would be handled with poorer wages and suboptimal environmental conditions from non-European nations. Consequently, he rejects the expansion of these traffic rights.
Mansoori’s comments came amidst the state visit of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, to Germany. The UAE President is set to meet with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in the afternoon, with both sides intending to broaden their political and economic ties, reportedly aiming to conclude agreements totaling billions of euros.
Simultaneously, the possibility of granting additional landing rights to the Gulf airline Emirates is under discussion. Currently, the airline is permitted to fly into Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg. Potential new routes include those connecting Stuttgart and Berlin. Media reports indicate that Emirates has offered investments worth hundreds of millions of euros to facilitate this expansion. However, resistance to granting these additional air traffic rights remains strong, particularly at Frankfurt Airport. Armand Zorn, an SPD Member of the Bundestag and Deputy Party Chairman from Frankfurt, had also expressed his opposition.
Beyond the issue of airline rights, Mansoori is pushing for further relief for the German aviation industry. While he acknowledges that lowering the aviation tax is a “first important step,” he insists it is only the beginning. He argues that the industry could thrive if the entire revenue generated by the aviation tax were reinvested back into the sector-for example, into scaling up synthetic fuels or other innovations-instead of currently being treated as a general budget item.
In his view, the state must also change its approach to funding air safety. He believes that a portion of these costs is a generalized public responsibility and should therefore be covered by the federal budget. “It is crucial that we, as a location, do not continually become more expensive in international competition,” the minister stressed.
For years, the German aviation sector has struggled with high operating costs. These costs include, but are not limited to, the aviation tax, fees for air traffic control and airport usage, and the expenses associated with security checks. In response, the federal government recently initiated several reductions. The aviation tax was lowered back to the pre-May 2024 level by July 1, 2026, and further industry costs are planned to be reduced.
The government aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Germany as an aviation hub. Recently, many airlines-including Easyjet, Ryanair, and Lufthansa-have canceled numerous routes. This has particularly caused a decline in service at smaller and medium-sized airports, worsening connectivity in specific regions.
