Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline, may close some of its routes in Germany because of a new departure tax being introduced by the Berlin government, dpa quoted company officials saying Thursday. "We will have to review all of our routes, and it is likely that these taxes will lead to a decline in passenger numbers," Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara told the German Press Agency dpa. On Wednesday, the German government had signed off on 20 billion euros (25.6 billion dollars) in budget cuts and tax increases aimed at slashing its deficit. A major component is a new airport departure tax of up to 45 euros on each passenger from January 1, which is expected to raise 1 billion euros a year. Ryanair spokeswoman Henrike Schmidt told dpa-AFX that the review could then "lead to route closures." Ryanair operates 174 routes to European and North African destinations from its three German hubs in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Bremen. The airline carries some 11 million passengers a year from Germany. Ryanair has appealed to the German parliament, which must approve the cabinet's budget measures, to "prevent this mad flight tax." "These are self-defeating taxes, they lead to a reduction in tourism numbers and a loss of jobs," McNamara said. The government has presented the levy as a form of "green" taxation, aimed at reducing heavy carbon-emitting travel patterns while raising revenue. Ryanair said it intends to lobby the German parliament through the European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA). ELFAA has claimed that the new tax will lead to 10,000 job losses.
