German carrier axes flights to UK
Air Berlin is axing regional flights to the UK as part of a plan to partially withdraw from regional airports in Germany and shed unprofitable routes after announcing a €32.2m loss for the second quarter.
Flights from London to Munster/Osnabruck and Hanover will be cancelled this winter and flights from London and Manchester to Paderborn will also be dropped.
Germany's second largest airline said the cancellations were necessary as its cost reductions had not been sufficient to offset higher costs resulting from aviation tax, rising fuel prices and the decline of Egypt-based business.
Launching the airline's "Shape & Size" cost-cutting programme, CEO Joachim Hunold, whose offer to resign was accepted by the Board yesterday, said: "In order to become profitable we need to make cuts in our flight routes and in our fleet."
The airline will cut its fleet by eight aircraft, slashing one million seats from its overall capacity for the second half of this year.
In future, it will concentrate on its hubs in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Palma and Vienna.
Harmut Mehdorn, an Air Berlin board member since July 2009, will become interim CEO from September 1.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments