Domestic German air traffic loses importance

Mobility - Domestic German air traffic loses importance

In terms of the number of flights and passengers, domestic air traffic has become less important since 2019. According to the Federal Statistical Office, from January to October 2023, a good fifth (20.6%) of the approximately 715,500 flights took off from one of Germany's main airports to a domestic destination. At the same time, 11.4% of the 84.3 million passengers who took off during this period were traveling within Germany. The picture was similar in the same period last year.

In the pre-coronavirus period in 2019, 26.7% of all 942,100 flights departing from Germany were domestic flights. The difference in passenger numbers was even more pronounced: From January to October 2019, 18.3 percent of the 107.2 million passengers who took off were traveling to destinations within the country.

At the same time, the importance of domestic German flights as feeder flights to destinations abroad is growing, according to the figures. In the first ten months of last year, 28.2% of passengers traveled on to another country after a domestic flight. In the same period in 2019, the proportion was 17.0%.

In the first half of 2024, domestic air traffic in Germany will remain significantly below the figures from the pre-corona period, as reported by the industry association BDL in its forecast up to and including June. Outside of the Frankfurt and Munich hubs, capacity will even fall by 12% compared to the same period last year. The bottom line is that only 53% of the seats offered in 2019 will be available within Germany. According to the forecast, this figure is 95% on long-haul routes and 89% on short and medium-haul routes to destinations outside Germany. The number of flights offered in Dresden, Stuttgart and Berlin will remain particularly low.

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1. Despite the decrease in domestic air traffic, Germany remains a popular destination for international travelers, with 95% of the seats offered on long-haul routes and 89% on short and medium-haul routes still available for flights to destinations outside of Germany.
2. The impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic has significantly affected domestic air traffic in Germany, with only 53% of the seats offered in 2019 available for flights within the country during the first half of 2024.
3. In the pre-Coronavirus period in 2019, Germany saw a higher proportion of domestic flights, with 26.7% of all flights departing from the country headed to domestic destinations, compared to just 20.6% in the same period in 2023.
4. If you're planning a domestic flight in Germany during the first half of 2024, you may want to consider flying from one of the country's major hubs, such as Frankfurt or Munich, where capacity is expected to remain relatively stable compared to other cities like Dresden, Stuttgart, and Berlin.
5. The decrease in domestic air traffic has also led to a reduced number of flights and passengers on domestic flights in Germany, with 20.6% of all flights and 11.4% of all passengers traveling to domestic destinations in the first ten months of 2023.

Source: www.stern.de