Germany’s scheduled airline seat capacity is set to remain well below its pre-pandemic level during the winter 2026/27 timetable, with airlines operating from German airports offering 85% of the capacity recorded in 2018/19. The figure contrasts with 109% across Europe and 116% in the rest of the continent, as German capacity stagnates while the wider European market grows by 3%.
The comparison covers flights scheduled between October 2026 and March 2027. High kerosene prices and above-average government-imposed location costs are contributing to the weaker recovery in Germany, where network-carrier capacity is expected to decline by 5% from the previous winter.
European point-to-point airlines are particularly constrained in the German market. Their capacity stands at 78% of the former level, compared with 143% elsewhere in Europe. Tourist airlines are an exception, expanding their German capacity by 12% to 151% of the pre-crisis level.
A separate OAG Schedules Analyser assessment puts winter departure capacity from German airports at 47.95 million seats, down 1.3% year on year. Domestic capacity is expected to fall 8.8% to 6.43 million seats, while international capacity remains broadly stable at 41.52 million. The differing pre-pandemic comparisons reflect variations in datasets and reference periods.