German airports anticipate potential disruptions of up to 20 million passengers over the summer, mainly due to the ongoing jet fuel crisis. According to Ralph Beisel, CEO of the German Airports Association (ADV), the association is concerned that further flight cancellations will impact low-cost carriers and destinations that are less crucial for tourism.
Beisel highlighted the stark contrast in projections for 2026. While the best-case scenario foresees stagnation in passenger development, the worst-case scenario suggests the possibility of a ten percent capacity reduction at some airport locations. Aggregated across all German airports, this could affect 20 million travelers, resulting in some destinations being completely cut off, others seeing reduced service, and ticket prices increasing significantly.
The advanced industry assessment suggests that flight outages are not solely a risk during physical shortages, but are already threatened by the exorbitant cost of fuel. Beisel noted that kerosene prices have more than doubled since before the war, and he does not expect any normalization in the coming months. Even if the fuel were available, airlines would struggle to operate many flights economically at current prices.
To mitigate the fallout from the fuel crisis, the airport industry is calling for government relief. In the “Welt am Sonntag” Beisel specifically requested a suspension of the air traffic tax in the short term, and at minimum, a 50% reduction in the medium term.
