The airline are removing almost three million seats from its network as rising airport charges, aviation taxes and air traffic control fees continue to reshape the continent’s short-haul market.
The low-cost carrier said the changes represent a strategic realignment rather than a full-scale contraction, with capacity being withdrawn from high-cost markets and redeployed to countries offering lower operating expenses and more supportive government policies.
Germany will be among the hardest hit as Ryanair plans to cut 24 routes and nearly 800,000 seats for the Winter 2025-26 schedule, affecting airports including Berlin Brandenburg, Hamburg, Cologne Bonn and Memmingen. Operations at Leipzig, Dresden and Dortmund will remain suspended throughout 2026. The airline said Germany is operating at just 88 per cent of pre-pandemic traffic levels, placing it among Europe’s weakest recovered aviation markets.
Spain will see one of the largest cumulative reductions. After removing around one million seats for winter 2025, Ryanair will cut a further 1.2 million seats from regional Spain in summer 2026. The airline will fully withdraw from Asturias and Vigo, close its Santiago de Compostela base, suspend flights to Tenerife North and continue closures at Jerez and Valladolid. Ryanair blamed rising airport fees imposed by operator Aena and government penalties linked to cabin baggage charges.
France has already lost 25 routes and 750,000 seats after Ryanair suspended services to Bergerac, Brive and Strasbourg. Flights to Bergerac are set to return in summer 2026 following negotiations, though services to Brive and Strasbourg remain suspended. The airline warned that further French regional exits remain possible if tax conditions do not improve.
Belgium will also face significant reductions. Ryanair plans to remove 20 routes and one million seats for the winter 2026-27 season, representing a 22 per cent cut in capacity. The airline cited a new aviation tax doubling charges to €10 per passenger as the primary driver.
In Portugal, Ryanair will cancel all six Azores routes from the end of March 2026, affecting around 400,000 passengers annually. The carrier pointed to rising air traffic control fees, airport staff strikes, EU emissions rules and a new €2 travel tax.
Smaller cutbacks are also planned in Bosnia and Serbia, with reduced services from Banja Luka and Niš as aircraft are redeployed to higher-demand markets such as Croatia.
Ryanair said that while 2025 saw growth in lower-cost regions including the UK, Finland and Italy, persistent cost pressures in parts of Europe continue to dictate where the airline chooses to fly.
