According to the latest data from the German Air Transport Association (BDL), available seat capacity on flights to and from Germany compared to the countries of the European South —such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal— is expected to increase by 7% between October 2025 and March 2026, securing a 34% market share. Most importantly, however, capacity to this region has already reached 112% of pre-pandemic levels.
This upward trend is not limited to the Mediterranean. The movement to North Africa is also particularly dynamic, where a 28% capacity jump and a 137% recovery rate are expected, the highest in the entire wider region. At the same time, the Middle East and Central Asia show an increase of 11% and a recovery of 107%, while Africa as a whole exceeds pre-pandemic levels with a recovery of 101%.
European picture: new records on the horizon
Seat capacity in European air transport is expected to increase by 7% during the period from October 2025 to March 2026, according to data from air carriers collected by the German Aviation Association (BDL).
If this capacity is actually put into flight use, Europe’s passenger traffic will exceed pre-pandemic records by 8%.
In Germany
In Germany, airlines offer a total of 116.7 million seats for this period, up 6% compared to the same period last year. Total capacity is now 88% of pre-pandemic levels, which is considered satisfactory, considering the individual route categories.
International long-haul flights: 98% capacity recovery
Cross-border short/medium-haul flights: 94%
Domestic routes outside Frankfurt and Munich: 15% drop
In contrast, domestic routes to and from Frankfurt and Munich are up 3%, with a total share of 6%.
Some regional airports in Germany have already far exceeded pre-pandemic levels in available seats:
Memmingen: 256% recovery
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden: 184%
Weeze/Niederrhein: 169%
Dortmund: 136%
Hahn: 123%
Nuremberg (+27%, 97% recovery) and Hannover (+7%, 91% recovery) airports are also emerging players.
Correspondingly, Germany’s five major airports are showing the following trend…
Frankfurt: +5% capacity, 88% recovery
Munich: +3%, 84% recovery
Berlin (BER): +3%, 68% recovery
D?sseldorf: +9%, 73% recovery
Hamburg: no growth until March 2026, recovery stagnant at 80%
Hamburg Airport remains the only major gateway in Germany that is not expected to see any growth in seat capacity until Spring 2026, indicating a more conservative market stance in Northern Germany.
