The Germans abandoned bigger airborne operations after Crete cause of the big losses. The losses could have been much lower if Göring had not decided to compromise between the plans of Löhr and Student. I think Löhrs original plan to concentrate all forces at Maleme was better than Students idea to spread the forces to achive maximum surprise. But Göring combined the plans and took the worst of both plans, thereby contributing to the losses.
Other problems of German paratroopers at Crete were the equipment (the Germans only had pistols and hand grenades, the rifles and machine guns were in the canisters, which sometimes landed in hostile positions) and the bad coordination of the waves (the planes had to be refueled by hand because they had not enough pumps at the air fields).
Had two or perhaps even one of these problems be solved the losses would have been lighter, the losses would have been reduced and the idea of airborne forces may not have been discredited. The main use would probably have been in the med as most of the eastern front was too open for light infantry.