Ryanair will be terminating all its flights to and from Bremen, Hans Koschnick, in Germany, from April 2027, after nearly two decades of service, citing high aviation taxes and airport charges. The Irish budget airline, which carries about 400,000 passengers a year through Bremen Airport (BRE), had removed all Bremen flights from its booking site several days before the move was confirmed.
Why is Ryanair withdrawing from Bremen Airport?
In a press release on Oct. 8, 2026, Ryanair announced the cancellation of all flights to Bremen, urging the Federal Minister of Transport, Steffen Bilger, to take “urgent action” to deal with Germany’s “collapsing” air transport market.
Chief Commercial Officer Jason McGuinness said:
“ This decision is a direct consequence of Bremen Airport’s excessive fees, along with Germany’s exorbitant air traffic tax, air navigation service charges, security fees, and high airport charges, which have forced Bremen out of the market. ”
Ryanair said that the capacity would be redistributed to “more competitive airports” across Europe which are actively reducing their access costs.
The withdrawal from Bremen Airport is just one aspect of Ryanair’s cuts in Germany, which include the closure of its seven-aircraft Berlin Brandenburg base on Oct. 24.
Which Ryanair routes are affected?
Currently, Ryanair operates to six destinations out of Bremen: London Stansted (STN), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Alicante (ALC), Málaga (AGP), Zadar (ZAD) and Lamezia Terme (SUF). Flights will run as normal through the 2026-27 winter schedule, which ends in late March.
As reported by ch-aviation, Ryanair had previously closed its two-aircraft Bremen base on Nov. 5, 2018, but continued to serve its routes based elsewhere. Now the airline will withdraw operations completely from Bremen Airport from April 2027.
German officials criticise Ryanair’s withdrawal
For Bremen, Ryanair’s withdrawal means the loss of an established airline and 500,000 seats a year, as well as lost links for tourism and economic connectivity, especially with its London Heathrow connection.
In an interview with regional broadcaster Buten un binnen, Kai Stürenberg, Bremen’s state councillor for ports, described Ryanair’s decision as a “massive disruption”.
“In March, Ryanair said Bremen Airport was great. They claimed the conditions and framework were excellent, everything was fine. Now, however, they’ve made demands that are completely impossible to meet – neither legally, due to state aid regulations, nor economically. If we’re expected to contribute up to 5 euros per passenger, then this isn’t negotiable. This is unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Bremen’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said Ryanair wanted to use the airport’s infrastructure “virtually free of charge”.
What do you think – will other airlines cover the removed routes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
