Ryanair has made the decision to shut down another European base, resulting in the cancellation of 12 routes. The budget airline recently announced the closure of its three-aircraft Thessaloniki base and capacity reductions at Athens Airport for the upcoming winter season. This move will lead to the loss of 700,000 seats along with the 12 routes affected.
According to Ryanair, the closure of the base and routes is a response to the high costs imposed by the German-operated Fraport Greece monopoly and Athens Airport. The airline expressed concern over the lack of competitiveness due to these costs, leading to the reallocation of capacity to more competitive countries like Albania, regional Italy, and Sweden.
Despite not explicitly stating it, Ryanair’s statement hints that the closed base and routes may reopen after the conclusion of the 2026/27 winter season. The airline emphasized the importance of reducing airport charges and passing on tax savings to passengers to facilitate growth and investment opportunities in Greece.
Fraport, the operator of several Greek airports, including Thessaloniki, responded to Ryanair’s decision, attributing it to the carrier’s commercial strategy and profitability considerations. Fraport Greece highlighted its significant investments in upgrading Thessaloniki as part of its infrastructure development efforts.
Ryanair has warned of scaling back its plans for Greece, which included launching 50 new routes in the next five years. The airline stressed the necessity of freezing airport charges and passing on tax reductions to passengers to promote tourism and traffic development in the region.
In a separate development, Ryanair has also announced the closure of its Berlin operating base and a reduction in its winter schedule to the German capital due to high aviation taxes in the country. This decision will lead to a significant decrease in passenger numbers to Berlin, with the carrier relocating aircraft to other centers.
