Ryanair has announced a significant round of route reductions across Europe for 2026, marking one of the airline’s most extensive network pullbacks in recent years.
While 2025 has seen expansion in select markets, including the UK, Italy, and parts of Northern Europe, the carrier is now preparing to scale back operations in countries where it says rising aviation taxes and airport charges have undermined its low-cost model.
In total, the changes are expected to remove around three million seats from Ryanair’s European network, with smaller cities and regional airports facing the greatest impact.
The decision comes against a backdrop of broader challenges for the airline. Persistent delivery delays from Boeing have constrained fleet growth, while operational changes such as the phase-out of physical boarding passes have drawn criticism from passengers.
At the same time, Ryanair continues to pressure governments and airport operators to lower costs, warning that higher fees inevitably lead to fewer routes and higher fares. The airline has repeatedly argued that Europe risks losing affordable connectivity if policymakers continue to increase taxes on short-haul travel.
Portugal and Western Europe Face Deep Reductions
One of the most dramatic cutbacks will take place in Portugal, where Ryanair plans to eliminate all six of its routes to and from the Azores by the end of March 2026. The move will affect roughly 400,000 passengers annually and reduce the airline’s total capacity in Portugal by about 22 percent.
Key mainland hubs such as Lisbon and Porto will also feel the impact, as the Azores routes play a central role in Ryanair’s Portuguese network.
The airline has pointed to a combination of higher air traffic control fees, the EU Emissions Trading System, and the introduction of a new €2 travel tax as reasons for the withdrawal. According to Ryanair, these costs disproportionately affect short-haul routes to island destinations while leaving longer flights relatively untouched. Ongoing labor disputes and airport staff strikes in Portugal have further complicated operations, adding to the carrier’s frustration.
Similar pressures are driving route cuts in other parts of Western Europe. Ryanair has confirmed it will reduce services in Germany, Belgium, France, and Spain, including routes linking major cities such as Berlin with leisure destinations like Tenerife. In Belgium, the airline has warned that aviation taxes could sharply reduce traffic and push fares higher, echoing trends it claims to have already seen in Austria and Germany.
Balkans and Network Rebalancing for Summer Demand
Beyond Western Europe, Ryanair is also trimming capacity in parts of the Balkans as it reallocates aircraft to markets with stronger seasonal demand. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the airline will reduce flights from Banja Luka, cutting weekly departures and scaling back services to destinations including Vienna, Memmingen, and Baden-Baden. Serbia will see similar reductions, with fewer weekly flights from Niš to cities such as Vienna and Malta.
Ryanair says these changes reflect a strategic shift rather than a full retreat, as resources are redirected toward faster-growing markets like Croatia, where summer demand continues to rise. Even so, the cuts are likely to be felt locally, particularly in regional airports that rely heavily on low-cost carriers for international connectivity.
As Europe heads into 2026, Ryanair’s route adjustments highlight the growing tension between government efforts to tax aviation and airlines’ insistence that low fares depend on low costs. For travelers, the result may be fewer nonstop options and higher prices on remaining routes, especially in smaller and peripheral markets.