Ryanair Is Pulling 1.1 Million Seats From Belgium Over a Tax Measured in Euros

Ryanair announced on October 20 that it will remove 20 routes and about 1.1 million seats from its Belgian winter 2026-27 schedule. The cuts affect Brussels South Charleroi and Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and the airline says six aircraft will be withdrawn and redeployed to other European destinations.

The airline blames the federal government’s decision to raise the aviation passenger tax, which goes from 2 euros in January 2025 to 7 euros in January 2027. Ryanair presents that as a 250 percent increase and argues the higher cost makes Belgian airports less competitive than other European markets.

CEO Michael O’Leary called on Prime Minister Bart De Wever and the federal government to abolish the levy, arguing that aviation taxes push capacity, tourism spending and jobs toward lower-cost countries. Those claims are the airline’s own assessment rather than independent data, and no response from the Belgian government was included in the announcement.

For travelers, the full list of canceled routes was not published, so anyone with bookings from Belgium this winter should check their reservation and watch for airline notices. Capacity cuts of this size can also nudge fares up on the routes that remain, particularly on popular leisure destinations from Charleroi.

Sources: Travel PR News, Travel PR News recap