Brussels, October 22 – Ryanair has confirmed a major reduction in its Belgian operations for the Winter 2026 season, axing 20 routes that represent 1.1 million seats and withdrawing six aircraft from its bases for redeployment elsewhere in Europe. The Irish low-cost carrier made the announcement on October 20, 2026, directly linking the cuts to Belgium’s planned aviation tax increase.
The tax is set to rise from €2 to €7, or approximately US$2.25 to US$7.80, effective January 2027, amounting to a 250 percent increase according to the airline. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary urged the Belgian government under Prime Minister Bart De Wever to reverse the measure before further harm reaches the country’s air travel market. He contrasted Belgium’s approach with recent steps by Sweden, Slovakia, Hungary and Italy, which have lowered airport fees or abolished aviation taxes entirely to remain competitive.
The reductions will affect Brussels South Charleroi Airport particularly severely. Located about 60 kilometres south of the capital and long marketed by Ryanair as an alternative gateway to Brussels, the airport currently hosts around 19 based aircraft. Affected Charleroi services include those to Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, Béziers, Genoa, Reggio Calabria, Trapani, Essaouira, Nador, Oujda, Tetouan, Łódź, Poznań, Warsaw-Modlin and Newcastle. Flights from Brussels-Zaventem to Madrid, Valencia, Málaga, Rome-Fiumicino, Marrakech, Porto and Barcelona will also be withdrawn for the season.
Brussels-Zaventem previously served as a major Ryanair base until the airline closed it in 2022 following disagreements over airport charges, though the carrier continues to operate there using aircraft based elsewhere in its European network. These capacity adjustments underscore the sensitivity of low-cost route networks to changes in national aviation taxation and airport cost structures across the continent.