Ryanair has announced significant reductions to its European route network for 2026, pulling out of several airports in Spain, Portugal, France, and Germany amid disputes over airport charges and taxes. The budget carrier expects to cut approximately three million seats, with regional airports in Portugal and Spain hit hardest.
In Portugal, Ryanair has axed all six routes to and from the Azores from the end of March, affecting around 400,000 passengers annually. The airline attributes the cuts to increased air traffic control charges by Portuguese operator ANA (Vinci), EU levies such as the Emissions Trading System, and a new €2 travel tax. Ryanair said the ANA monopoly has no plan to grow low-fare connectivity and called on the Portuguese government to intervene. ANA has rejected allegations of monopoly abuse, stating that charges at Azores airports remain modest.
In Spain, Ryanair will cut approximately 1.2 million seats from its summer 2026 schedule, on top of one million seats already removed from winter 2025. The airline will withdraw completely from Asturias and Vigo, close its base at Santiago de Compostela, and scale back operations at Santander, Zaragoza, Girona, and the Canary Islands. Overall capacity across regional Spain will fall by 11% during the summer season.
Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary also warned that if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed due to the Iran conflict beyond April, European airlines may face jet fuel shortages and be forced to cancel 5–10% of flights in May, June, and July. He said cuts would depend on which airports experience fuel shortages, and that airlines would have little warning. Despite this, he encouraged passengers to book summer holidays as quickly as possible.
