Controversial tax hits passenger growth

ADV director Ralph Beisel
Foto: ADV

International airports in Germany increased passenger numbers by 5% to 198 million in 2011, the airports association ADV announced. However, this was only a 3% increase when adjusting for special effects in 2010, such as the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud impact and severe winter conditions. Passenger numbers on European routes increased by 8.3% but domestic passenger volumes went up only 1.6%. The ADV had originally predicted that passenger numbers would go up about 6% and break through the 200 million mark last year.

The association’s executive director, Ralph Beisel, blamed a combination of the slower economy and in particular the new aviation tax that was introduced in January 2011 for the low growth. Generally, growth rates tailed off in the second half of the year as the economic conditions worsened.

Growth was concentrated mostly at large hub airports last year and two thirds of German airports had stagnating or lower passenger numbers. The tax had had a heavy impact at regional airports such as Frankfurt-Hahn and Weeze which are reliant on low-cost flights and where budget airlines reduced flights in response to the tax.
In view of the figures, Beisel called on the German government to eliminate the aviation tax “immediately”. He declared: “Rarely has a state intervention disrupted competition in a sector so much.” The ADV did not make any forecasts for passenger numbers at German airports in 2012.