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The skies have grown a little darker for fans of budget flights living within the greater Frankfurt area.
On Jan. 7, ultra-low-cost carrier Ryanair, a behemoth amongst Europe’s budget airlines, announced it would soon cease using the Frankfurt am Main international airport (FRA) as a hub for its operations. According to its press statement, flights in and out of Frankfurt am Main are to be suspended as of March 31, 2022, and the five aircraft currently based there will be redistributed to other airports.
Ryanair explains the move as a financial one. At a time when air travel remains in post-Covid recovery mode, instead of taking steps to regain traffic, Frankfurt am Main has instead chosen to increase its fees, rendering it uncompetitive with other European airports. According to its statement, rather than introduce non-discriminatory traffic recovery schemes open to all airlines, the German government instead continues to protect legacy carriers including Lufthansa with significant financial support.
Ryanair passengers impacted by the flight cancellations can expect notifications and refunds over the coming days.
Budget travelers based in Germany can remain focused on a couple of bright spots on the horizon. Ryanair has not announced any plans to pull out of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, a much smaller airport located some 75 miles northwest of Frankfurt Airport. Although remote and not connected by any rail link, some travelers do appreciate Frankfurt-Hahn’s ease of parking and the lack of big-city traffic woes.
Those who find Nuremberg’s airport a convenient choice will applaud Ryanair’s Dec. 8 announcement to base two aircraft and introduce 13 new routes in the summer of 2022. The new destinations include Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Cagliari, Italy; Chania, Greece; Dublin, Ireland; Faro, Portugal; Girona, Spain; Ibiza, Spain; Lviv, Ukraine; Madeira, Portugal; Sofia, Bulgaria; Tallinn, Estonia; Valencia, Spain and Venice, Italy.
