Irish budget carrier Ryanair has completely withdrawn services from 19 European airports over a 15-month period ending in May 2026.
The strategic network contraction has reduced the airline's average daily flight movements from 3,431 to 3,397 flights, representing a 0.99% operational decrease.
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Spanish Airports Hit Hardest
Data from aviation analytics company Cirium indicates that the service terminations span 12 European countries.
Over a quarter of the affected facilities are located in Spain, where five regional airports completely lost their connectivity to the low-cost carrier.
The five Spanish locations removed from the network comprise Asturias, Jerez, Tenerife North, Valladolid, and Vigo.
Additional cuts across Europe affected Aalborg, Billund, Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne, Dortmund, Lappeenranta, Leipzig, Maastricht, Orebro, Patras, Ponta Delgada, Poprad, Strasbourg, Tel Aviv, and Terceira.
According to a Ryanair press release, the decision to exit the Spanish regional airports stemmed from external cost pressures rather than weak passenger demand.
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The airline cited a monopoly and increased airport fees implemented by Spanish operator Aena, alongside specific penalties regarding passenger bags, which conflicted with the carrier's low-fare operating model.
Expansion in Poland
To offset these network losses, Ryanair announced an expansion plan on May 29, 2026, targeting its two primary bases in Poland for the upcoming winter 2026 season.
The airline will launch 12 new routes through March 2027, focusing capacity on high-performing markets with lower operating costs.
The expansion features seven new routes from Warsaw Chopin Airport, including flights to Bari, Bologna, Catania, Liverpool, Naples, Turin, and Venice, which is projected to grow passenger traffic by over 50%.
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Furthermore, Ryanair will base two additional Boeing 737 aircraft at Warsaw Modlin Airport to support five new routes to Bratislava, Bristol, Manchester, Shannon, and Zagreb, a move expected to double annual traffic there to 3.2 million passengers.
