23 February 2025 , 07:07
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Ryanair is shaking up its European flight schedule with cuts across the continent in 2025.
Fed up with rising aviation taxes in Europe, Michael O’Leary’s low-cost Irish airline is pulling routes to popular holiday destinations in a bid to reduce the surcharges it pays for operating at airports.
Ryanair will run fewer flights and scrap routes altogether to certain destinations, with some already underway. Italy, Denmark, and France are set to be impacted, but Spain is facing the biggest blow.
The airline has never minced its words about rising taxes across Europe.
In a ‘resolutions’ manifesto released on New Year’s Day, Ryanair called on governments to axe aviation taxes, reduce air traffic control (ATC) fees and scrap traffic caps.
It said these taxes should ‘be provided by governments and not paid for by airlines and passengers’.
As the cuts and changes come into effect, here’s a full list of all the destinations affected so far.
Spain
Ryanair has revealed it will cut its Spanish summer traffic this year by 18%, which means 800,000 seats across 12 routes will be lost.
In a statement, the airline confirmed it will be shutting down operations in Jerez and Valladolid, closing one of its bases in Santiago and cutting traffic in Asturias, Zaragoza, Santander and Vigo.
If you were planning to see the sites in Jerez, you’ll have to find an alternative route (Picture: Getty Images)
The airline said the ‘completely avoidable loss’ will be ‘devastating for Spain’s regional connectivity, jobs and tourism’.
The airline told Metro: ‘We have been forced to cut capacity to/ from short-sighted markets that are bizarrely introducing or increasing aviation taxes.
‘These capacity cuts are due to increased costs making these markets uncompetitive compared to their EU counterparts who are actively lowering costs and, as a result, benefitting from rapid Ryanair growth.’
Ryanair’s CEO, Eddie Wilson, attributed the schedule changes to the Spanish state-controlled airport operator, Aena, which he claims has imposed ‘unjustified’ price hikes in airport charges.
Aena had initially scaled back the charges, which airlines pay to use the airport’s facilities. But Ryanair says they’ve been increasing since.
However, Aena claimed the average fee of €10.35 (£8.75) per passenger is ‘among the lowest in Europe’.
From May, Ryanair’s budget rival Jet2 will run direct flights from the UK to Jerez.
Italy
Spain is not the only destination affected by Ryanair cuts.
The airline confirmed last month that it will remove one of its aircraft from Rome’s Fiumicino (Italy’s largest airport) due to municipal surcharges in Italy’s main airports that start on April 1, 2025.
‘This means no growth for Rome despite the celebrations for the Jubilee year,’ the airline said.
Rome is set to be affected by Ryanair’s cuts (Picture: Getty Images)
Denmark
Flights have also been scrapped to and from Aalborg after Denmark announced the introduction of an aviation tax of DKK50 (£5.60). Ryanair has said this makes serving its regional airports ‘hopelessly uncompetitive’ compared to other EU countries.
This means the country will lose 1.7million seats and 32 for the summer, according to the airline.
Currently, passengers can find tickets for £14.99 from London Stansted to the historic town, but as of next month, all flights will be stopped.
It will also be closing its base at Billund Airport, which currently houses two aircraft. While this means passengers won’t be able to get a Ryanair flight to the city, British Airways will still operate services.
Germany
Ryanair will operate 12% fewer flights to and from Germany this summer, with officials citing the country’s high air traffic control (ATC) costs and aviation taxes as the reason behind the cuts.
A total of 22 routes will be axed from various bases across the country, including a 60% reduction in services from Hamburg International Airport. Bases in Leipzig, Dortmund, and Dresden are also set to close.
France
Ryanair routes to and from France are also under threat as the country is set to increase its aviation tax this year.
The tax on an economy class short-haul flight within France or Europe will rise from €2.63 to €7.40 on flights departing from France.
Ryanair routes to France are under threat (Picture: Getty Images)
The increase is backed by the Minister of Public Accounts Amelie de Montchalin. She commented: ‘It is a measure of fiscal and ecological injustice.’ She highlighted that ‘the 20% of the population with the highest income are responsible for more than half of the expenses devoted to air travel’.
While the airline has not announced any cancellations just yet, Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary, threatened to reduce flights to the country if the tax was increased.
At a press conference last week, O’Leary said: ‘France is already a high-tax country, and if it increases already high taxes further, we will probably reduce our capacity.
‘France is going against the tide. Europe will not become more efficient or more competitive by over-taxing air fares.’