Ryanair to shut Berlin base as it blames rise in German aviation tax
Ryanair is to shut its Berlin operating base and cut its winter schedule to the German capital in half, blaming soaring aviation taxes in the country.The Irish budget carrier said its relocation of seven aircraft to other centres would reduce its Berlin passenger numbers from 4.5 million to 2.2 million a year, with flights in and out of the city served from October by planes based at other airports.Staff at the facility are being offered transfers to other European bases.
Eddie Wilson, the chief executive of the airline’s main operating company, Ryanair DAC, said: “German aviation is broken,The government admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees – despite Ryanair warning that Germany would lose traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade,“Since 2019, Ryanair has been forced to close its bases in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart … in addition to stopping all flights to Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund,” Ryanair said these closures had led to the loss of 13 aircraft from those bases,The German trade union Verdi criticised Ryanair’s plans as a “purely profit-oriented corporate strategy”.
Dennis Dacke, the head of Verdi’s federal aviation division, said the airline’s employees had for too long been treated like “disposable commodities” while the company based its location decisions on short-term profit interests,The announcement of the withdrawal has come at a time when the airline industry is in turmoil as it wrestles with surging costs following the conflict in the Gulf,The price of jet fuel has more than doubled since the conflict began at the end of February,Penalties on airlines that cancel UK flights because of jet fuel shortages have been eased, and Ryanair’s boss, Michael O’Leary, has warned of having to cancel as much as 10% of late summer flights if shipping does not return to normal quickly,While many European airlines have hedged their fuel, locking in a purchase price for months or years ahead, the potential for future disruption was illustrated last week when American Airlines said the rising price of jet fuel would cost it another $4bn (£3.
1bn) this year and would eradicate forecast profits.Environmentalists and rail enthusiasts quickly pointed out the opportunity the Ryanair decision might present for the rail industry to step up.Jon Worth, a European railway policy analyst, told the Guardian: “The demise of Ryanair at Berlin airport should mean an opportunity for more passengers to take trains to Berlin instead.”Berlin has direct trains to Amsterdam, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Berne, Stockholm and Paris.A new daytime service to Copenhagen starts this summer.
With one change of train, Brussels, Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb are within reach of Germany’s capital.Worth said the railway’s reliability needed work and that trains were often more expensive than planes, “but there is an opportunity for the railway industry here, if they are ready to seize it”.Berlin airport has been approached for comment.
Bread and honey for breakfast and 150 miles a week training: secrets of Sawe’s world record
Sabastian Sawe’s astonishing world marathon record of one hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds at Sunday’s London Marathon was fuelled by running 150 miles a week, wearing the lightest super shoes in history and a pre-race breakfast of bread and honey, the Kenyan and his team have revealed.With an estimated 800,000 watching in the capital, the 31-year-old became the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon in an official race as he powered home in the second half of the race to shatter the world record.Afterwards, Sawe said he immediately realised that he had created a moment that would never be forgotten. “I have made history today in London,” he said. “For me, I have shown that nothing is not possible
UFC president Dana White says experience at press dinner shooting was ‘awesome’
While many of those present during the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner were shocked by Saturday night’s events, UFC CEO Dana White seemed to rather enjoy himself.White, a long-time ally of Donald Trump, was sitting near the front of the ballroom hosting the dinner when the event was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Rather than trying to find a safe place to hide during the chaos, White was enthused by the scene.“All of a sudden, it just started getting noisy,” White told reporters of the aftermath of the shooting. “Tables getting flipped over, guys running in with guns and they were screaming ‘Get down!’ I didn’t get down – it was fucking awesome
Masterclass on Anzac Day encapsulates why unflappable Scott Pendlebury is so good
The week in football was characterised in many ways by the absence of competence. There wasn’t much competence over at Kayo, which had more crashes than Leslie Nielsen. There wasn’t much competence in the umpiring on Friday night. There wasn’t much competence at the AFL tribunal, with its barking dogs and house inspections. There wasn’t much competence, or basic decency, at its appeals board
Nikola Jokić boils over after McDaniels’s mocking layup in Nuggets’ loss to Timberwolves
Nikola Jokić and Julius Randle were ejected after Jaden McDaniels made a meaningless – and provocative – layup at the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ playoff victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.With Minnesota already all but guaranteed victory in a game that ended 112-96, McDaniels chose to make the layup with 2.1 seconds left rather than run out the clock, as is customary. That led to Jokić jogging down from half-court to confront McDaniels, and a shoving match ensued as other players became involved.“I don’t know what [Jokić] said, to be honest
London Marathon 2026: Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier and world record – as it happened
Sabastian Sawe has done it! He wins the London Marathon and finishes the race in 1:59:30! That is the first record broken in the men’s race in London since 2002.Sean Ingle was on the Mall to witness the incredible Sabastian Sawe.double quotation markThey call Sabastian Sawe the silent assassin. But it was impossible to ignore the beautiful destruction on the streets of London as the 30-year-old Kenyan became the first athlete to shatter the two-hour barrier in an official race.As Sawe crossed the line on the Mall, the clock showed that he had run 26
Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier to make history in London Marathon
He came. He Sawe. He conquered. Not so very long ago, the idea of anyone running an official marathon in under two hours lurked only in the realms of the fantastical and theoretical: part holy grail, part scientific curiosity.But over the course of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds of a tumultuous spring day in London, Sabastian Sawe turned it into a brain-spinning reality
Children’s shoe retailers say closure of specialist shops is harming foot health
UK urged to deploy EU-style ‘trade bazooka’ against Trump’s tariffs
Musk and Altman’s bitter feud over OpenAI to be laid bare in court
UK departments at odds over energy demands of AI datacentres
London Marathon hails ‘greatest day’ as Sawe breaks two hours and records tumble
Sibley’s century gives Surrey edge over Essex: county cricket, day three – as it happened