Speaking to analysts on 3 November 2025, Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr delivered a blunt assessment: taxes and fees in Germany have doubled since 2019, leaving Europe’s largest airline no choice but to cut weekly domestic departures from 2 000 to roughly 1 000. Domestic traffic now accounts for barely 2 % of group revenue; aircraft freed up from routes such as Bremen-Munich and Hanover-Frankfurt are being redeployed to long-haul services where margins are healthier.
Spohr accused both the federal government and the European Commission of "regulatory overreach", citing the planned 2026 increase in air-security and ATC departure charges and the EU’s expanded Emissions Trading Scheme. He warned that German export champions could lose vital same-day connectivity to factories and clients, undermining the economy’s Mittelstand backbone.
![Lufthansa says regulatory costs forced it to axe half of Germany’s domestic flights]()
Mobility managers face immediate implications: employees travelling between regional German cities may need to shift to rail, car or multi-stop itineraries via Frankfurt or Munich, adding time and cost. Airports such as Dresden and Saarbrücken, already battling traffic losses, fear further downgrades of their service portfolios.
The German Aviation Association (BDL) echoed Spohr’s concerns, claiming cumulative policy costs of €1.5 billion per year. The transport ministry retorted that airlines received billions in pandemic aid and must contribute to climate goals. The debate is unlikely to subside; Spohr hinted Lufthansa may relocate future fleet investments unless Germany “restores competitive neutrality.”
Spohr accused both the federal government and the European Commission of "regulatory overreach", citing the planned 2026 increase in air-security and ATC departure charges and the EU’s expanded Emissions Trading Scheme. He warned that German export champions could lose vital same-day connectivity to factories and clients, undermining the economy’s Mittelstand backbone.
Mobility managers face immediate implications: employees travelling between regional German cities may need to shift to rail, car or multi-stop itineraries via Frankfurt or Munich, adding time and cost. Airports such as Dresden and Saarbrücken, already battling traffic losses, fear further downgrades of their service portfolios.
The German Aviation Association (BDL) echoed Spohr’s concerns, claiming cumulative policy costs of €1.5 billion per year. The transport ministry retorted that airlines received billions in pandemic aid and must contribute to climate goals. The debate is unlikely to subside; Spohr hinted Lufthansa may relocate future fleet investments unless Germany “restores competitive neutrality.”
