Ryanair will withdraw six aircraft from its Belgian operation and remove 20 routes from its winter 2026/27 schedule, cutting more than 1.1 million seats from the market. The changes affect Brussels Airport in Zaventem and Brussels South Charleroi Airport, with the airline redirecting capacity to lower-cost European markets and withdrawing an investment valued at about $600 million.
At Zaventem, Ryanair will discontinue services to Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga, Marrakech, Porto, Rome and Valencia, leaving Dublin as its only remaining destination. Charleroi will lose 13 routes, while its Ryanair base will be reduced to 13 aircraft. Around 200 jobs are expected to be affected, although crew members may be offered positions at other bases.
Ryanair links the reductions to Belgium’s planned aviation-tax increase from €2 to €7 per passenger in January 2027, which the airline describes as a 250% rise. The announcement was made by chief executive Michael O’Leary in Brussels as the winter schedule began. Ryanair has warned that a further one million seats could be removed from Belgium’s summer 2027 schedule if the tax remains unchanged.