Ryanair Withdraws 20 Routes and 1.1 Million Seats From Belgian Winter Schedule Amid Aviation Tax Dispute

Six aircraft will be redeployed from Brussels-area airports as the carrier challenges Belgium’s planned increase in departure taxes for 2027.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Ryanair says its winter 2026–27 Belgian schedule removes 20 routes and 1.1 million seats across Charleroi and Zaventem.
• The airline plans to redeploy six aircraft, which it values at a combined US$600 million.
• Ryanair links the cuts to a planned aviation tax increase from €2 in January 2025 to €7 in January 2027.
• The 20 October announcement does not list every affected route or quantify job losses.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Ryanair has confirmed a sharp reduction in its Belgian flight programme for winter 2026–27, removing 20 routes and approximately 1.1 million seats across Brussels South Charleroi Airport and Brussels Airport at Zaventem. The low-cost carrier says it will also withdraw six aircraft from its Belgian operations, describing the change as a reallocation of approximately US$600 million in aircraft investment.

For passengers planning winter travel from Belgium, the reductions mean fewer Ryanair connections and less capacity at the country’s two Brussels-area airports. The airline announced the revised schedule on 20 October, attributing the withdrawal to the federal government’s decision to raise its aviation passenger tax. The official Ryanair announcement does not provide a full list of discontinued routes, airport-by-airport seat reductions or individual cancellation dates.

Tax increase at the centre of the dispute

Ryanair points to a rise in the aviation tax from €2 in January 2025 to €7 in January 2027, representing a 250% increase between those stated amounts. The airline argues that higher departure costs make Belgian airports less attractive for deploying aircraft and opening routes than competing European markets. The figures and comparison reflect Ryanair’s presentation of the tax change; the announcement does not set out the levy’s application to every category of flight.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, called on Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and the federal government to abolish the levy. O’Leary argues that aviation taxes can redirect airline capacity, tourism spending and employment to lower-cost jurisdictions. Those economic consequences are the airline’s assessment rather than confirmed measurements of the Belgian market as a whole.

Ryanair says its six aircraft and associated capacity will be redeployed to other European destinations. While the airline has warned that reduced flying could affect local tourism and jobs, it did not provide a verified jobs-loss estimate in its 20 October statement.

What travellers should know

The changes concern Ryanair’s winter 2026–27 schedule at Charleroi and Zaventem. Travellers considering flights to or from Belgium should consult the airline’s current booking system and any communications about existing reservations rather than assume a particular route is affected based solely on the aggregate cuts. The announcement does not identify all 20 routes.

The dispute follows months of public warnings from the carrier about Belgian aviation taxation. In a July 2026 statement, Ryanair outlined broader winter-and-summer capacity changes linked to the same policy debate. The newly published winter schedule specifies the 1.1 million-seat reduction and six-aircraft withdrawal for the winter period; the July figure covering a wider planning window should not be treated as an additional winter-only cut.

Belgium’s policy debate highlights the tension between raising revenue from air travel and airports’ efforts to retain competitively priced connections. For now, Ryanair’s stated decision provides a concrete change in winter seat supply, while the wider effects on travel demand, employment and tourism will depend on actual traffic and alternative services.