Ryanair has cut 700,000 seats and 12 routes as the airline closes its Thessaloniki base and reduces Athens capacity due to soaring Greek airport charges
Ryanair has cut 700,000 seats and 12 routes as the airline closes its Thessaloniki base and reduces Athens capacity due to soaring Greek airport charges Ryanair has axed a staggering 700,000 seats across 12 routes - potentially disrupting holiday plans.
The budget carrier will shut its three-aircraft Thessaloniki base and scale back operations at Athens Airport for the forthcoming winter season. The restructuring by the airline, which operates from East Midlands Airport, will see the removal of 700,000 seats and 12 routes for the winter ahead.has levelled accusations at Greek airports for failing to pass on tax reductions to travellers. The carrier has alleged that Fraport Greece has hiked charges, which now stand 66 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Ryanair warned: "Consequently, Greek airports are no longer competitive in the off-peak shoulder and Winter months, when the tourism industry's reliance on low-fare connectivity is most acute.
"Ryanair has therefore been left with no choice but to reallocate capacity to more competitive countries like Albania, regional Italy, and Sweden where airports have passed on the savings from Govt. tax reductions. ", reportsRyanair Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness said: "Ryanair regrets to announce the closure of our Thessaloniki base and reductions in Athens for Winter '26, resulting in the loss of 700,000 seats and 12 routes across Greece, as well as the suspension of operations at Chania and Heraklion during the off-peak months.
"These preventable traffic reductions are a direct result of the airports' failure to pass through the ADF reduction, particularly in Thessaloniki where the Fraport Greece monopoly have hiked airport charges +66% since 2019. "The removal of 3 based aircraft, 500,000 seats and 10 routes from Thessaloniki for Winter '26 will be devastating for the city and region, as Ryanair provided 90% of international capacity to Thessaloniki last Winter.
"Unfortunately, there will now be less low-cost air fares for Thessaloniki's citizens and visitors, and year-round tourism will be harmed as a result. "These aircraft will be reallocated to Albania, regional Italy and Sweden, where airports have passed on their Govt's aviation tax savings – resulting in more connectivity, tourism and jobs this Winter in those regions.
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