Ryanair cuts flights to another popular European destination over airport fee row
Now Ryanair pulls flights to Azores
- Ryanair has announced plans to axe six flight routes to the Azores from 29 March 2026, ending a decade of year-round connections to the Portuguese islands.
- The airline attributes the decision to "high airport fees," citing a 120 per cent increase in air traffic control charges since the pandemic and a new €2 travel tax imposed by airport operator ANA.
- Ryanair accuses ANA, owned by France’s Vinci group, of operating a monopoly in Portugal and calls on the Portuguese government to intervene to prevent further fee increases.
- Ryanair's CCO, Jason McGuinness, also criticised "anti-competitive environmental taxes imposed by the EU," which he claims exempt long-haul flights at the expense of remote regions like the Azores.
- This move follows similar flight reductions by Ryanair in other European destinations, including France, Spain, and Germany, also due to tax hikes and increased airport fees.