Dortmund Airport

No hamburgers or frankfurters, but Ryanair will be serving Germany more

Germany is Europe’s number two aviation market (after the UK) by seats. However, although Ryanair is Germany’s third largest carrier, its share of seats there is only about 6%. It has a 14% share of capacity across all its markets and a significantly higher share in other major countries such as Italy, Spain and the UK. This under-representation in Germany may be about to change.

Although high charges at the main hubs and a well-organised main competitor have hindered Ryanair’s growth in Germany, it has shown at bases such as Duesseldorf Weeze and Frankfurt Hahn that it can build a dominant position.

Now, just as that competitor is focusing inwardly on its own restructuring, Ryanair is opening 47 routes from Germany in 2013, including three new airports. Looking further ahead, it has declared that it is in talks with 20 German airports with a view to adding five or six to its route network. We assess Ryanair’s current position and prospects in Germany, including consideration of which airports might attract it.

Ryanair expanding presence in Germany through Dortmund and Nuremberg

Ryanair is planning to expand its presence in Germany through the launch of operations at Dortmund and Nuremberg in Mar-2013 and Apr-2013.

This expansion will see Ryanair become the third largest carrier at Dortmund Airport, challenging Germanwings for second place behind Wizz Air, with its initial six routes. Ryanair will also become the third largest carrier at Nuremberg, behind airberlin and Lufthansa.

Ryanair’s entry into Nuremberg will again give the airport a significant LCC presence while strengthening its western European connections with six new routes. Meanwhile, Lufthansa’s transfer of some European services to Germanwings in 2013 will see Ryanair face more intense competition across its German network.

In Oct-2012, Ryanair announced plans to launch services to Dortmund Airport and said six new routes will deliver over 200,000 passengers annually at the airport. Ryanair plans to initially operate 14 weekly frequencies at Dortmund, which it estimates will support 200 on-site jobs at the airport.