en.Wedoany.com Reported - Irish airline Ryanair is implementing significant cuts to its European route network for 2026, involving complete withdrawal from some airports, closure of operating bases, and the removal of numerous routes. Ryanair attributes these adjustments to rising airport charges, new aviation taxes, and climbing air traffic control costs, while relevant governments and airport operators believe Ryanair is using capacity cuts as a bargaining chip.
According to Cirium schedule data, airports served by the Ryanair Group (including Lauda, Malta Air, and Buzz) in 2025 but with no flights scheduled for 2026 include: Aalborg and Billund in Denmark, Araxos in Greece, Lappeenranta in Finland, Örebro in Sweden, Poprad-Tatry in Slovakia, and Tel Aviv in Israel. All Ryanair flights to the Azores in Portugal will be completely withdrawn from March 29, 2026, affecting 6 routes and approximately 400,000 passengers annually. Asturias Airport in Spain is also facing a complete withdrawal of all flights, resulting in a reduction of 1.2 million seats in the airline's Spanish regional capacity. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary stated in the announcement: "AENA should lower charges at underutilized regional airports, but instead they plan to increase them by 7%, the largest hike in over a decade. The Spanish government is failing to stimulate regional tourism and employment, continuing to protect AENA's monopoly high-charge operations." He added that some capacity will be shifted to "some larger Spanish airports, but mainly to lower-cost competing airports in Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Sweden, and Hungary."
In Germany, Dortmund, Dresden, and Leipzig/Halle airports remain closed to Ryanair operations. Maastricht Aachen Airport in the Netherlands has no resumption plans for 2026 after ending all Ryanair flights in October 2025. Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, Tenerife North, Jerez, and Valladolid in Spain also face service termination or base closures. Brive and Strasbourg in France have suspended services since the 2025/26 winter season, with Bergerac expected to see limited resumption following negotiations with local authorities.
Even at airports where services are retained, route cuts are also occurring. Cork in Ireland will cease flights to Poznań, Gdańsk, and Rome from March 2026. Brussels/Charleroi in Belgium plans to cut approximately 20 routes and 1 million seats in the 2026/27 winter season. Multiple airports in Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia are also affected by route and frequency reductions.
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