Low-cost carrier Ryanair has told staff it intends to shut its only remaining German crew base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport this autumn, a move that would force some 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew to relocate abroad or face redundancy. The decision, revealed on 4 May by industry portal Aviation.Direct, immediately drew fire from the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), which accuses the airline of union-busting. VC president Andreas Pinheiro argues the closure is retaliation for a recent labour-court victory that reinstated a five-days-on/four-days-off roster and, crucially, for Berlin’s unique status within the carrier’s network as the only German station with an elected works council. Ryanair counters that high air-traffic taxes and airport fees – set to rise again in 2027 – make Berlin unviable. For multinational employers, the development raises short-term workforce-mobility headaches.
![Ryanair to close Berlin base, triggering union backlash and fresh job-mobility concerns]()
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The Berlin base currently supplies early-morning departures that many business travellers rely on for same-day meetings in Milan, Vienna and Copenhagen; capacity cuts could force corporates to rebook via Lufthansa or the rail/air combo through Frankfurt, adding cost and travel time. Mobility teams with expatriate pilots or cabin crew on local contracts must also plan for potential relocation packages or severance negotiations should Ryanair press ahead. Airport authorities fear knock-on effects: BER handled 3.2 million passengers in April and had counted on Ryanair’s schedule to help reach pre-pandemic volume by year-end. The tourism ministry of the state of Brandenburg is already in talks with easyJet and Eurowings in an attempt to back-fill lost capacity before the Christmas markets peak. At policy level, the episode reignites debate over whether Germany’s labour laws inadvertently drive carriers to station aircraft in lower-cost jurisdictions. VC is urging the federal transport ministry to create guardrails that prevent base closures being used to undercut collective-bargaining rights – a demand that, if adopted, could reshape the incentives matrix for foreign airlines operating in the German market.
When travel plans suddenly change—whether your employees need last-minute Schengen visas or long-term permits—VisaHQ can smooth the process. Its online platform handles German visa applications end-to-end and offers real-time tracking for corporate mobility teams, saving precious hours when schedules shift unexpectedly (learn more at https://www.visahq.com/germany/).
The Berlin base currently supplies early-morning departures that many business travellers rely on for same-day meetings in Milan, Vienna and Copenhagen; capacity cuts could force corporates to rebook via Lufthansa or the rail/air combo through Frankfurt, adding cost and travel time. Mobility teams with expatriate pilots or cabin crew on local contracts must also plan for potential relocation packages or severance negotiations should Ryanair press ahead. Airport authorities fear knock-on effects: BER handled 3.2 million passengers in April and had counted on Ryanair’s schedule to help reach pre-pandemic volume by year-end. The tourism ministry of the state of Brandenburg is already in talks with easyJet and Eurowings in an attempt to back-fill lost capacity before the Christmas markets peak. At policy level, the episode reignites debate over whether Germany’s labour laws inadvertently drive carriers to station aircraft in lower-cost jurisdictions. VC is urging the federal transport ministry to create guardrails that prevent base closures being used to undercut collective-bargaining rights – a demand that, if adopted, could reshape the incentives matrix for foreign airlines operating in the German market.
