German aviation study finds 54% of Asia flights now use non-EU hubs

A study by the German Aviation Industry Association (BDL) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) found that in 2024, 54% of flights from Germany to East and Southeast Asia used hubs outside the EU, up from 44% in 2019 and 34% in 2010. The German hubs Frankfurt and Munich saw their share drop from 56% to 36% over the same period. The study attributes this to higher costs from EU environmental regulations, such as the emissions trading system, which put European airlines at a disadvantage. Germany's air travel recovery after the pandemic has also been slower than the global average.