Ryanair is removing 700,000 seats from its German winter schedule, a 10% reduction compared with winter 2025, as it cuts capacity in Berlin and Hamburg. The airline’s winter announcement confirms that its seven-aircraft Berlin base will close on October 24, 2026.
For travelers, Berlin faces the biggest change: half of Ryanair’s capacity will disappear, 12 routes will be withdrawn and remaining services will run less frequently. The airline will continue serving the German capital, so the base closure should not be confused with a complete departure from the airport.
Which Berlin Routes Are Being Cut?
The affected destinations span six countries, covering winter-sun trips, city breaks and visits to friends and family. Ryanair names the following routes in its announcement:
- Italy: Bologna, Palermo, Pisa, Reggio Calabria and Trieste
- Spain: Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote
- France: Marseille
- Estonia: Tallinn
- Greece: Thessaloniki
- Lithuania: Vilnius
If one of these destinations is on your winter itinerary, check the exact travel dates in your booking before committing to accommodation or onward transport. A route withdrawal affects the nonstop option; it does not establish what replacement flights or connections will be available for a particular day.
Reduced frequencies on the routes that remain can also matter. A destination may still be served, but with fewer departure days, making a short weekend trip or a tightly timed business visit harder to arrange around the original plan.
Where Capacity Is Falling—and Growing
The cuts are not uniform across Germany. Ryanair is reducing Hamburg capacity by 5%, while increasing its winter offering at Memmingen and Cologne. The changes announced for those airports are:
| Airport | Capacity change |
|---|---|
| Berlin | Down 50% |
| Hamburg | Down 5% |
| Memmingen | Up 12% |
| Cologne | Up 10% |
The airline also plans its first winter operations at Friedrichshafen and Saarbrücken. For anyone comparing departure airports, however, extra capacity elsewhere is only useful if the route, timetable and ground journey fit. Include rail fares, parking and transfer time when weighing a cheaper flight from a different airport.
Why Ryanair Is Closing Its Berlin Base
Ryanair attributes the reductions to Germany’s aviation tax and airport, security and air traffic control charges. Those are the carrier’s stated reasons for moving capacity, rather than an independent assessment of every airport’s costs.
The Berlin closure was first announced in April. In that earlier statement, the airline said the seven aircraft would be redeployed and Berlin would be served by aircraft based outside Germany. We covered the planned Berlin base closure at the time; this week’s announcement adds the wider winter capacity figures and the affected route list.
The airline’s network is moving in different directions across Europe. Our coverage of its Warsaw expansion details additional aircraft and winter routes in the Polish capital. That provides a useful comparison with Germany’s cuts, although it does not identify where each of the former Berlin-based aircraft will go.
What to Do If You Already Have a Booking
Ryanair’s cancellation guidance says passengers are contacted through the email address, app notifications or phone number supplied with their booking. Check My Bookings as well, particularly if a travel agent made the reservation and may hold the airline’s contact record.
For cancelled flights, the airline lists refund and rerouting options, alongside a free change to another date or time on the same route where available. If the route itself is being withdrawn, another departure on that route may not be a practical option; review the alternatives offered for your booking.
Keep the cancellation message and original itinerary, then check any separately booked hotel, car hire or onward ticket before choosing a replacement. A lower headline fare from another airport can lose its appeal once a longer transfer or extra overnight stay is included.
Berlin will remain on Ryanair’s network this winter, but with fewer routes and less flexibility. For now, the most useful step is to confirm your own flight dates and available alternatives rather than assume that the airport-wide reduction applies equally to every booking.
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