Ryanair issues major update for Spain, Greece, and Portugal - flights cancelled

Ryanair has revealed significant changes to its winter 2026 schedule, including the closure of its three-aircraft base in Thessaloniki, Greece. The airline will eliminate 12 routes from the city, such as flights to Berlin, Frankfurt, Venice, and Stockholm, as well as services from Athens to Milan and Chania to Paphos. These changes will reduce capacity by 45%, equating to 700,000 fewer seats compared to winter 2025. The airline attributes the cuts to rising airport charges, despite a 75% reduction in Greece’s Airport Development Fee (ADF) from €12 to €3 per passenger in November 2024. Ryanair plans to redeploy aircraft to destinations like Albania, Italy, and Sweden, where fees are more competitive. In Spain, Ryanair will cut 1.2 million seats from its summer schedule, withdrawing all flights to Asturias and Vigo and shutting its Santiago de Compostela base. Services to Santander, Zaragoza, and the Canaries will also be reduced, while flights to Tenerife North and Valladolid have been discontinued entirely. Capacity at Girona will drop by 11%, though the airport will retain 34 routes to 13 countries, including a new service to Bucharest. Portugal will see further reductions, with Ryanair already having scrapped all Azores flights in May, affecting 400,000 annual passengers. The airline also removed 24 German routes, including services to Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt-Hahn, and Dresden, and announced plans to close its Berlin hub entirely by October 2026, halving its winter schedule to the city. Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson stated the Berlin base closure was unavoidable due to a 10% fee increase by the airport. The airline has framed these changes as necessary to manage rising operational costs across Europe.