Berlin — German airports are likely to suffer a loss of some 1.5 billion euros (1.8 billion dollars) this year, despite rising passenger numbers, as the effects of the pandemic ease, the airports association (ADV) said on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately the figures for 2021 remain such that we continue to be under severe pressure," ADV president Stefan Schulte said following a two-day meeting of the sector at Berlin's BER airport.

Losses in 2020 hit 2.1 billion euros. Operating profit in 2019 came in at 800 million euros.

While air travel picked up in the summer, as restrictions were eased, passenger numbers were still at just 55 per cent of the pre-pandemic figure on a week-by-week basis.

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