Aida, a leading cruise company in Germany, anticipates that the cruise market will remain strong and resilient, even amidst the crisis in the Middle East. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, Aida CEO Felix Eichhorn called cruises “the engine of growth for the tourism sector”. He expressed confidence that Aida is set to have an even stronger year in 2026 compared to 2025.
Eichhorn noted that the cruise industry’s development trajectory is more positive than that of domestic tourism. He pointed out that while travel operators are exceeding pre-pandemic revenue levels, the total number of customers remains lower. Despite this, the cruise sector has recorded 30 percent more passengers than in 2019. His main challenge, however, is not demand but rather the availability of cabins, particularly for short-notice sailings.
Although the industry most recently saw three million passengers from Germany, Eichhorn believes that even more travelers are considering an ocean voyage. “It is undeniable that the industry will pass the threshold of four million guests annually. The limiting factor is not the demand, but the number of ships” he stated.
Regarding fuel costs, Eichhorn announced a withdrawal of plans to impose retroactive surcharges. He clarified that Aida will not be adding fuel surcharges to cruises. He also noted that while hedging contracts can make costs more predictable during a crisis, they can be disadvantageous if prices fall. He added that Aida is not hedged, noting that “fuel represents a significantly smaller percentage of the total costs for us than it does for an airline”.