BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - This weekend will see the second major wave of travel at German airports after Easter. The airports are expecting around 2.5 million passengers over the Whitsun weekend, as the airport association ADV announced in Berlin on Wednesday. This corresponds to an increase of 5 percent compared to the previous year. "The traffic development over the long Whitsun weekend shows that the desire for vacation travel is unbroken," said ADV Managing Director Ralph Beisel according to the press release. Nevertheless, air traffic in Germany is recovering noticeably slower than in the rest of Europe.

Following the coronavirus pandemic, location costs in Germany - in particular aviation security fees and air traffic tax - have doubled. "This is not without consequences: The high demand for flights from private and business travelers is offset by a weak supply from the airlines," said Beisel. Air traffic needs a moratorium on charges in order to be able to rebuild the necessary connections for travelers and the economy./hgo/DP/zb