Goodbye, Ryanair? - all destinations the low-cost carrier will no longer fly to in 2026 0 25

The year 2025 has become significant for Ryanair: the European low-cost carrier announced a series of important changes and decisions. The airline reported a substantial expansion of its winter schedule, particularly in the UK, Finland, and Italy, and the launch of new routes, such as from London to Murcia and from Rovaniemi to the UK. The company also presented plans for passenger growth and additional investments in bases, including Bologna.

On the other hand, there have been problems: delays from Boeing continue, and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary criticized the management of the aircraft manufacturer for "running around like headless chickens." The recent decision by the company to gradually phase out paper boarding passes has also faced sharp criticism.

However, one of the most notable announcements was the reduction of several routes next year in key destinations, including Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, and others.

This move could reduce the total capacity by approximately three million seats and significantly affect connections and travel convenience in smaller towns.

Here are all the destinations affected by Ryanair's route cuts in 2026.

Which routes in Germany will Ryanair cut in 2026?

In October 2025, Ryanair announced that it would cut 24 routes to and from Germany for the winter schedule 2025/2026, which means a reduction of nearly 800,000 seats.

Nine airports are already affected, including Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Memmingen, Frankfurt-Hahn, Dresden, Dortmund, and Leipzig. Operations at Leipzig, Dresden, and Dortmund airports will remain suspended in 2026, outside of the winter schedule.

However, there are currently no details on which other airports may continue to be affected throughout the year.

Ryanair explains the decision by citing high air traffic control (ATC) and safety fees, high German aviation taxes, and numerous changes at airports, criticizing the government for undermining competitiveness.

"Exorbitant fees and access costs in Germany sharply contrast with countries like Ireland, Spain, and Poland, where there are no aviation taxes, as well as Sweden, Hungary, and regional Italy, where aviation taxes are eliminated simultaneously with reduced access costs to stimulate traffic, tourism, employment, and economic recovery," the company stated in a press release in October.

"As a result, Germany remains one of the least recovered aviation markets in Europe, operating at only 88 percent of pre-COVID levels."

Ryanair also reproached the German government for failing to fulfill promises to lower aviation taxes, unlike other major EU countries.

Such taxes are intended to account for the destructive impact of aviation on the climate and encourage travelers to choose more environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as trains.

The airline also reported that it intends to shift capacity from Germany to countries with more affordable costs, warning of possible exits and further cuts if the situation does not improve.

At the same time, if authorities address the listed issues, the company is ready to increase volumes again.

Which routes in Spain will Ryanair cut in 2026?

Ryanair also announced cuts to flights to Spain next year. After reducing capacity by approximately one million seats in the winter schedule of 2025, the company will cut another approximately 1.2 million seats in the summer schedule of 2026 for regional Spain.

This includes a complete halt to flights to Asturias, as well as to Vigo. The company will close its base in Santiago de Compostela, continue to reduce volumes for Santander and Zaragoza, and cut connections to the Canary Islands.

This winter, flights to Tenerife North are completely halted. The base in Jerez, which was closed this season, will remain closed in 2026. Similarly, all flights to Valladolid have been suspended, with Ryanair not operating there since the winter of 2024.

The reason for the cuts has been prolonged disagreements with the Spanish airport operator Aena due to sharp increases in taxes and airport fees, as well as, according to Ryanair, "illegal baggage fines" from the Spanish government, referring to the 2024 campaign against surcharges for hand luggage.

According to Ryanair, this makes regional Spanish airports less competitive compared to cheaper alternatives in Morocco and Italy, among others.

"Aena's monopolistic approach to tariffs means that small, underutilized regional airports must charge roughly the same rates as busy major hubs like Madrid, Barcelona, Palma, and Malaga. As a result, Ryanair is shifting capacity to these larger Spanish airports (where demand and rates are higher)," the company stated in a press release in October.

There have also been reports of moving to other low-cost airports in Croatia, Morocco, Italy, Sweden, and Albania, where authorities are reducing airport fees and environmental taxes.

At the same time, competitors such as Vueling, Binter, Iberia, and Wizz Air have filled the niche left by Ryanair, offering many of the same routes. This is likely to significantly reduce inconvenience for passengers.

Which routes will Ryanair cut in France next year?

France is also likely to face cuts from Ryanair in 2026. Already this winter, in 2025, the company reduced 750,000 seats and 25 routes to France, ceasing all flights to Bergerac, Brive, and Strasbourg. The main reason: the rise in French taxes for airlines.

However, a few months after this decision, Ryanair announced in December that it would resume flights to Bergerac in the summer of 2026 after negotiations with French authorities, although flights to Brive and Strasbourg remain suspended.

Despite this, Ryanair warned of possible new cancellations in France in 2026.

"Ryanair will leave French regional airports in the summer of 2026," said the company's commercial director Jason McGuinness in the Paris business magazine Challenges. There are currently no official details on which other regional airports will be affected.

Which routes in Belgium will Ryanair cut in 2026?

In the winter schedule 2026/27, Ryanair will remove 20 routes and one million seats from Brussels and Charleroi.

As in other countries, the key reason is the new Belgian aviation tax, which will double the fee to 10 euros per passenger. Additionally, local taxes may be introduced in Charleroi.

Destinations affected include Milan-Bergamo, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome-Champino, Krakow, and Mallorca, among others. The decision reduces about 22 percent of Ryanair's Belgian capacity, and the airline will also withdraw five aircraft from its bases in Zaventem and Charleroi.

"If the authorities really want to revive the Belgian economy, they should abolish this harmful aviation tax to increase traffic and tourism, rather than doubling it," the company stated in a press release in early December.

"Ryanair again calls on Prime Minister De Wever and his government to abolish the aviation tax; otherwise, Belgian traffic will collapse, and fares will soar — as has already happened in Austria and Germany, where authorities have repeatedly raised access costs."

Which routes is Ryanair cutting in Portugal?

Ryanair will close all six of its routes to the Azores and from the Azores at the end of March next year, affecting about 400,000 passengers annually. This will represent a reduction of approximately 22 percent of Ryanair's capacity in Portugal, also affecting key cities such as Porto and Lisbon.

The main reason is the increase in air traffic management fees imposed by the Portuguese operator ANA (Vinci), as well as EU-wide taxes, such as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), which impacts short flights to destinations like the Azores and Madeira while exempting longer routes.

The situation has been exacerbated by a new tourist tax in Portugal of 2 euros, which, according to Ryanair, is counterproductive compared to practices in other EU countries.

Portuguese operational costs have also been rising in recent months, and airport staff strikes further complicate the situation.

"Unfortunately, the ANA monopoly does not plan to develop affordable flights to the Azores. In Portugal, ANA has no competition, allowing it to extract monopoly profits by raising Portuguese airport fees without consequences, while competing EU airports lower rates to stimulate growth," Ryanair stated in a press release at the end of November.

"The Portuguese government must intervene and ensure that its airports (a critically important part of national infrastructure, especially for the island economy of the Azores) serve the interests of the Portuguese people, not the French airport monopoly."

However, ANA categorically rejected these accusations of abusing its monopoly position, stating that dialogue remains open and that fees in the Azores are low.

Ryanair's flight reductions in Bosnia and Serbia

In the summer of 2026, Ryanair will also implement cuts in Bosnia and Serbia. The main goal is to redistribute resources to regions with growing summer demand, such as Croatia.

In particular, six weekly departures will be cut from Banja Luka; there will be two flights per week to Vienna, Memmingen, and Baden-Baden.

In Niš, the airline will cut two weekly flights, one each to Vienna and Malta.