The number of flight passengers arriving in Germany from abroad to visit the country has dropped sharply compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new survey published by the ADV airport association on Tuesday.

The share of foreign visitors arriving at German airports declined to 21% last year, compared to 32% recorded back in 2017, the survey of over 125,000 travellers found.

The trend reflects a lack of adequate flight connections to Germany which industry blames on high taxes and government fees, the ADV said.

The association called for Germany’s air traffic tax to be scrapped, citing Sweden as an example.

“Germany, once an attractive travel destination, has been on a downward spiral since the pandemic,” managing director Ralph Beisel said.

“The new German government must also take air travel into account in its plans to make Germany a more attractive travel destination,” he demanded.

According to the survey, the proportion of business travellers among flight passengers has fallen to about 20%.

Meanwhile, growth in private travel was driven by visits to family and friends as well as destination trips.

The downturn has also affected Germany’s largest airport, with the operator of Frankfurt airport, Fraport, reporting losses amounting to €26.4 million ($29.3 million) in the first quarter, compared to consolidated profit of €12.7 million a year ago.

The operator recorded only 12.4 million passengers in Frankfurt between January and March, down by almost 1% compared to the same period last year.

Source: dpa