COLOGNE (dpa-AFX) - Tourist air travel will also become more expensive this summer for Eurowings, Germany's largest airline. The rising costs will be passed on to customers, explained airline boss Jens Bischof in Koln on Wednesday. He referred in particular to the government-influenced fees, which have almost doubled in Germany since 2019. These include fees for passenger checks and air traffic control as well as the air traffic tax, which was increased in May. Further increases are planned.

Bischof admitted that the costs of operating Eurowings had also risen "moderately". Among other things, new collective agreements were concluded for all employee groups, which was achieved without strikes. The airline manager did not give a concrete percentage figure for the price increases.

The Eurowings boss expects a special boom due to the European Football Championships in Germany from June. European airports have already launched 70 special flights with 13,000 additional seats. This number could increase for the final rounds, and a higher load factor can also be expected on regular flights. However, Eurowings is not planning any additional domestic flights between the ten venues.

The Lufthansa subsidiary is on track to make a profit, as in the previous year, explained Bischof. With around 120 aircraft, Eurowings is now offering 13 percent more seats than in the previous year due to the continued strong growth in demand. "The desire to travel is coming back strongly."/ceb/DP/ngu