Low-cost airline Ryanair has started off 2025 by announcing cutbacks on several of its routes across Europe.
Whether it be scrapping popular flights entirely, closing aircraft bases at busy airport hubs, or even just scaling back the number of seats going to long-established destinations, from Denmark down to Spain the Irish airline is doing some restructuring of its European fleet this year.
In many cases, the company is scrapping flights (or threatening to do so, at least) on the back of disputes with governments over increased taxes and airport fees.
READ ALSO: Ryanair confirms end of all flights from Denmark's Billund Airport
Where in Europe is Ryanair scrapping flights this year?
Austria
In Austria, the airline has pivoted to prioritising airports with lower fees including Linz and Salzburg. This follows news that Ryanair passengers flying from Vienna can expect higher ticket prices in 2025, according to O’Leary.
Speaking at a press conference in Vienna, the CEO said the low-cost carrier’s growth in Austria would be limited due to rising airport charges and the country’s €12 air traffic tax, Kurier reported.
READ ALSO: Why flying from Vienna looks set to become more expensive
Denmark
Flights with Ryanair to and from Billund, Denmark's second-largest airport, are to end on March 31st, after the company confirmed it will no longer operate any services from Billund.
That came after another announcement that Ryanair was to close its two-aircraft base at the Jutland airport. Passengers who have bought Ryanair tickets from Billund Airport for travel after March 31st can therefore expect to receive a cancellation email from the airline, if they have not already done so.
Ryanair has blamed Denmark’s new air travel tax for its decision to scrap 24 routes out of Billund in addition to services at Aalborg Airport.
That seems like a drastic measure on the surface, given that the cost of the tax would be passed on to passengers and it is limited to just 30 kroner per year for short haul flights in 2025, the first year of a five-year phasing in period.
READ ALSO: Ryanair confirms end of all flights from Denmark's Billund Airport
Germany
It doesn’t stop here. Ryanair has also announced plans to cut flights to six destinations from Berlin's Brandenburg airport this summer, again blaming high fees and taxes.
The airline explained that particularly high access costs, “which could not be reduced by the German government and airport management" were the reason for the reduction of its services from Berlin.
The number of Ryanair aircraft stationed in Berlin would drop from nine to seven, and six destinations would no longer be served from the German capital, including: Brussels, Kaunas in Lithuania, Krakow, Luxembourg and Riga.
READ ALSO: Budget airline Ryanair to cut flights from Berlin
Spain
Heading to southern Europe, in Spain the company is going further by cancelling 13 routes at seven airports, equal to a reduction of 18 percent of the company’s flights or 800,000 fewer seats overall.
The affected Spanish airports are smaller regional ones, a blow for locals and foreign residents in those areas looking for convenient travel.
Ryanair flights to and from Spain slated for cancellation include:
- Vigo to Barcelona
- Vigo to London Stansted
- Santiago de Compostela to Milan
- Santiago de Compostela to Bologna
- Asturias to London Stansted
- Santander to Alicante
- Valladolid to Palma de Mallorca
- Valladolid and Barcelona
- Jerez to London Stansted
- Jerez to Palma de Mallorca
- Jerez to Barcelona
- Zaragoza to Bologna
- Zaragoza to Venice (Treviso)
READ ALSO: REVEALED - The flight routes to Spain Ryanair will soon cancel
Italy
In Italy, Ryanair has threatened to remove an aircraft from Rome Fiumicino and curb its planned expansion at Rome Ciampino in a dispute over, you guessed it, airport fees.
The operator said that airport costs were set to increase by 15 percent in Fiumicino and 44 percent in Ciampino by 2028, while passenger taxes (or tasse d’imbarco) were set to rise from April 1st. It added that limitations on the number of flights imposed on Ciampino due to noise concerns (the cap is currently set at 65 flights a day) were also hurting its business.
“These restrictive policies are damaging connectivity, tourism and jobs in Italy, particularly in Rome, where enhanced air connectivity is needed to support inbound tourism during the Jubilee year,” the Irish company said.
The 2025 Jubilee, a Holy Year for the Catholic Church, is expected to draw over 30 million tourists to the Italian capital in 2025.
France
That leads us to France, where Ryanair last year announced it would close its base of operations in the city of Bordeaux following a failure to find an agreement with the airport about fees.
However, months after the decision, Ryanair confirmed it will maintain its flight schedule for spring and summer 2025 from another, smaller, airport in south-west France. The budget airline will now operate flights to seven destinations from Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées airport – Dublin, London, Brussels Charleroi, Krakow, Milan Bergamo, Rome Ciampino and Malta.
However the airline will not, after all, be offering flights to and from Paris next year, it has been reported. Ryanair had been awarded several slots to begin operating flights to and from Paris' Orly airport, but in December it was reported that O'Leary had vetoed the idea.
Things could yet get more complicated for travellers coming and going from France. O’Leary also previously threatened to leave France altogether if the country goes through with a budget proposal to more than double the tax that is added onto the cost of every ticket for outgoing flights.
Following news last week that the tax was passed, it remains to be seen what Ryanair will do next. What it does mean, however, is that flights leaving from France are set to get more expensive.
With taxes and airport fees clearly an issue for the Irish low-cost airline in 2025, it remains to be seen what Ryanair (and O’Leary) will do in response or where else in Europe it may scale back flights.
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