Ryanair has announced sweeping cuts to its winter 2026 schedule, closing a major Greek base and reducing capacity across Europe, affecting millions of passengers. The budget airline revealed a 45% drop in capacity, equating to around 700,000 fewer seats compared to winter 2025.
Greece
Ryanair will close its three-aircraft base in Thessaloniki for winter 2026, citing rising airport charges. The airline accused operators of failing to pass on a government-ordered reduction in the Airport Development Fee (ADF), which was cut by 75% in November 2024 from €12 to €3 per passenger. A total of 12 routes will be cut, including services from Thessaloniki to Berlin, Frankfurt, Venice, and Stockholm, as well as routes from Athens to Milan and from Chania to Paphos. Ryanair will redeploy aircraft to Albania, Italy, and Sweden.
Spain
Ryanair will cut around 1.2 million seats from its summer 2026 schedule to Spain, following a reduction of one million seats in winter 2025. All flights to Asturias and Vigo will stop, and the base at Santiago de Compostela will close. Capacity will be reduced for Santander and Zaragoza, and connections to the Canaries will be cut. Flights to Tenerife North have been scrapped, and all services to Valladolid have stopped. Routes from Girona will be reduced by 11% over the summer season, though a new connection to Bucharest will be added.
Portugal
In March 2026, Ryanair scrapped all flights to the Azores, affecting six routes and around 400,000 passengers annually.
Germany
Ryanair has dropped 24 services to and from Germany, including destinations such as Hamburg, Memmingen, Baden-Württemberg, Cologne, Frankfurt-Hahn, Dortmund, Dresden, and Leipzig. The airline will also close its Berlin hub and halve its winter 2026 timetable to the capital. CEO Eddie Wilson blamed a 10% fee increase at Berlin Airport, on top of a 50% rise since 2019.
France
Ryanair will drop services to Strasbourg and Brive completely. Flights to Bergerac were previously axed but restarted for summer 2026. The airline's chief commercial officer, Jason McGuinness, stated that Ryanair will leave French regional airports in summer 2026.
Belgium
Ryanair has cut 20 routes and one million seats across Brussels-Zaventem and Brussels South Charleroi airports for the 2026/27 winter schedule, a 22% reduction. Five aircraft based at Brussels Airport have been removed. The airline called on the Belgian government to abolish the aviation tax to avoid further traffic collapse and fare increases.
