DUBLIN- Ryanair (FR) has confirmed extensive route cuts across Europe in 2026, driven by rising airport charges, aviation taxes, and air traffic control costs. The changes will remove nearly 3 million seats and significantly affect regional connectivity.
While cutting capacity in high-cost markets such as Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, and Portugal, the airline is simultaneously expanding in lower-cost regions, highlighting a broader network realignment rather than a full scale contraction.
Ryanair Route Cuts 2026
Ryanair (FR) described 2025 as a year of operational contrasts. The airline announced major winter schedule expansions in the United Kingdom, Finland, and Italy, alongside new routes including London to Murcia and Rovaniemi to several UK cities.
It also confirmed plans to grow passenger numbers and increase investment at its Bologna base.
At the same time, the carrier faced persistent aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, with CEO Michael O’Leary publicly criticizing the manufacturer’s management.
Ryanair also encountered customer backlash after moving to phase out physical boarding passes, adding to operational challenges.
According to EuroNews, the most consequential development remains Ryanair’s decision to withdraw capacity from multiple European countries in 2026, reallocating aircraft to markets offering lower operating costs and supportive government policies.
Germany
Ryanair will cut 24 routes and almost 800,000 seats to and from Germany for the Winter 2025/26 schedule.
Airports already affected include:
- Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)
- Hamburg Airport (HAM)
- Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN)
- Memmingen Airport (FMM)
- Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN)
- Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ)
- Dresden Airport (DRS)
- Dortmund Airport (DTM)
Operations at Leipzig, Dresden, and Dortmund will remain suspended throughout 2026. Ryanair attributed the decision to high air traffic control and security fees, elevated aviation taxes, and frequent airport cost changes.
The airline stated that Germany is operating at only 88 percent of pre-COVID traffic levels, placing it among Europe’s weakest recovered aviation markets.
Spain
Spain will see one of the largest cumulative reductions. After cutting around 1 million seats for winter 2025, Ryanair will remove a further 1.2 million seats from regional Spain in summer 2026.
Confirmed changes include:
- Full withdrawal from Asturias Airport (OVD) and Vigo Airport (VGO)
- Closure of the Santiago de Compostela base (SCQ)
- Reduced capacity at Santander (SDR) and Zaragoza (ZAZ)
- Suspension of all flights to Tenerife North (TFN)
- Continued closure of Jerez (XRY) and Valladolid (VLL) bases
Ryanair cited rising airport fees imposed by Spanish operator Aena and government penalties on cabin baggage charges.
The airline argued that uniform pricing at small regional airports reduces competitiveness compared with lower-cost alternatives in Italy, Morocco, and Croatia.
France
France lost 25 routes and 750,000 seats in winter 2025 after Ryanair suspended all services to Bergerac (EGC), Brive (BVE), and Strasbourg (SXB) due to higher airline taxes.
Following negotiations with French authorities, Ryanair will restart flights to Bergerac in summer 2026. Services to Brive and Strasbourg remain suspended.
Despite this return, the airline warned that additional French regional exits are possible. Chief Commercial Officer Jason McGuinness stated that Ryanair could leave more French regional airports if tax conditions do not improve.
Belgium
Ryanair will remove 20 routes and one million seats from Belgium for the winter 2026/27 schedule.
- Brussels Airport (BRU)
- Charleroi Airport (CRL)
The cuts represent a 22 percent reduction in Belgian capacity and include the withdrawal of 5 aircraft.
A new aviation tax doubling charges to €10 per passenger was cited as the primary driver. Routes affected include Milan-Bergamo, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome-Ciampino, Krakow, and Mallorca.
Portugal
Ryanair will cancel all 6 Azores routes from the end of March 2026, impacting approximately 400,000 passengers per year.
This represents a 22 percent cut in Portuguese capacity and affects connectivity with Porto (OPO) and Lisbon (LIS).
The airline blamed rising air traffic control fees from ANA Airports, higher operating costs, airport staff strikes, and EU measures such as the Emissions Trading System, which applies to short-haul routes while exempting longer flights.
A new €2 Portuguese travel tax further contributed to the decision. ANA has denied monopoly abuse claims and stated that Azores fees remain low and dialogue is ongoing.
Bosnia and Serbia
Ryanair will scale back operations in parts of the Balkans during the summer of 2026 to redeploy aircraft to higher-demand markets such as Croatia.
- Banja Luka Airport (BNX): Weekly departures reduced from 6 to 2, affecting routes to Vienna, Memmingen, and Baden-Baden.
- Niš Airport (INI): Two weekly flights cut, including one service each to Vienna and Malta.
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