On the occasion of the current meeting of the Aircargo Club Deutschland (ACD) in Frankfurt, Joachim Lang, Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry (BDL), spoke of that Germany is increasingly losing freight to international hubs - both inside and outside the EU. Germany is increasingly losing freight to international hubs - inside and outside the EU.
“The government-imposed location costs are far too high. It is becoming increasingly expensive to handle air freight via Germany,” warned Lang.
Valuable Goods
According to his statement, air freight is of great importance for the German economy. The value of goods transported by air amounts to an average of €152,807 per tonne.
On the
road the value is €6,525, on the ship €2,493 and on rail €2,090. The airplane is therefore the central means of transport for value-added goods, Lang said.
Freight Outflow
But more and more shipments for Germany are being processed via hubs in neighboring foreign countries. In addition, hubs in Doha, Dubai or Baku are redirecting large volumes of global goods flows to themselves.
According to the BDL chief executive many of these locations would receive targeted government subsidies. This, in turn, would lead to competitive advantages and put the German industry under pressure.
It should be noted that German freight forwarders are increasingly outsourcing to foreign locations — Lang stated that a third of them hardly use
the domestic airports any more for air freight shipments to and from Germany.
High Location Costs
He attributes this primarily to high location costs; he also mentioned an “over-implementation of EU law, unnecessary bureaucracy and problems with customs clearance.”
For instance, a long-haul freight flight in Frankfurt is charged around €1,500 in air traffic control fees. Costs in Istanbul would be €72 and in Liège €0.
In 2023, Germany lost around 62,000 tonnes of air freight abroad. Before 2019 the balance had been positive; Germany had been able to win 206,000 tonnes from abroad at that time.
BDL Demands
This outflow will continue without relief for the industry, Lang is sure. The BDL calls for, among other
things, a reduction of the air transport tax, a partial assumption by the federal government of the fixed costs of air traffic control, and the reversal of the most recent fee increases.
Further demands: cutting bureaucratic hurdles and accelerated digitization of processes.
In 2025, the association presented a five-point program. It said that initial discussions with the responsible authorities and ministries had begun.
Relief Measures
ACD President Prof. Dr. Christopher W. Stoller also emphasized the need for relief for economic development.
“Air freight is indispensable for Germany as an export nation and its industrial strength. The more important is it that we clearly name the industry’s interests and advocate for them to policymakers with emphasis,” Stoller stated.
