Germany's cities and regions are popular destinations for air travel, as evidenced by the high volume of incoming traffic. However, recent data from the airport association ADV shows a decrease in foreign travelers choosing Germany as their destination. In 2022, the ADV Passenger Survey conducted personal interviews with almost 100,000 departing passengers at 21 international commercial airports in Germany. The survey aimed to evaluate insights into aviation market growth and changes, passenger demographics, and travel behavior patterns.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany's incoming passengers steadily increased. However, the latest ADV survey indicates that only one in five passengers at German airports is still a guest in the country. Compared to 2017, the percentage of foreign travelers has decreased by 11 percent to just 23 percent of the total passenger traffic.
Ralph Beisel, Managing Director at ADV, explains that guests from Europe and intercontinental countries play a vital role in the German tourism industry and economy. Germany's attractive tourist and metropolitan regions benefit from good air transport connections. However, the sharp decline in incoming passengers highlights German air traffic challenges. The main reason for this decline is the inadequate supply of airlines operating within Europe at "point-to-point".
Germany is becoming an increasingly expensive location, which causes low-cost airlines to avoid the country. This causes gaps in services and impacts travelers negatively. We must significantly reduce location costs to achieve a level playing field with our European neighbors. The current negative trend prompts us to demand a cap on aviation security costs and air traffic control charges from the Federal Government. Germany has seen a sharper increase in regulatory taxes and fees than any other European country. Reducing these costs would make Germany attractive to foreign airlines, companies, and tourists.
