Ryanair is cutting numerous European routes, including a complete withdrawal from the Azores region of Portugal, known as the 'Hawaii of Europe', effective 29 March 2026. The budget airline cited higher airport fees and air traffic control charges as reasons for the changes.
Around 400,000 passengers a year will be affected by the Azores closure. Jason McGuinness, Ryanair’s chief commercial officer, blamed rising costs from the French airport monopoly ANA, saying the airline had no alternative but to cancel all flights and relocate capacity to lower-cost airports elsewhere in Europe.
In Germany, Ryanair will reduce its presence significantly, cutting nearly 800,000 seats for the winter 2025/2026 schedule. Routes will be closed at Dortmund, Dresden, and Leipzig/Halle airports, while other airports including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Memmingen, and Frankfurt-Hahn have already seen reductions. The airline pointed to air traffic control fees, security charges, and aviation taxes as factors.
Further cuts will affect airports in Spain, France, Belgium, Ireland, and several eastern European countries. In Spain, services to Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, Tenerife North, Jerez, and Valladolid are ending or reduced. French flights to Brive and Strasbourg have been suspended, with only a partial comeback expected at Bergerac. Belgian airports in Brussels and Charleroi will lose around 20 routes and one million seats. Ryanair has warned that reductions could begin as early as April 2026 if taxes increase.
The airline maintains it is not abandoning popular destinations but adjusting its network to align with government policies and airport charges that suit its low-cost model. Meanwhile, rivals such as Vueling, Binter, Iberia, and Wizz Air have stepped in to fill some of the gaps.
