The European Commission has approved €6 million in German operating aid for Erfurt airport in Thuringia under EU State aid rules.
Erfurt airport is a regional airport run by the publicly owned Flughafen Erfurt GmbH, with traffic of about 314,000 passengers in 2025, the Commission noted in a release on Thursday.
Germany notified the Commission in December 2025 that it intended to grant additional support for the airport until April 2027.
The airport previously received €11.6 million in operating aid between 2015 and 2024.
Decision under EU aviation state aid rules
The Commission said it assessed the support under EU rules on state aid for airports, including its Aviation Guidelines — a framework that sets conditions under which governments can provide funding to airports without breaching EU competition rules.
The €6 million measure was approved after the Commission concluded it was limited to the minimum necessary for Erfurt airport to cover its operating costs by April 2027.
The Commission cited a drop in passenger traffic from 2020 and higher energy costs for airport operators linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
A non-confidential version of the decision will be published under case number SA.121317 in the Commission’s State aid register once confidentiality issues have been resolved.
