Ryanair axes all flights from EU airport and adds new UK flight in major revamp

Ryanair has cancelled all of its flights from a popular EU airport, as it continues to wage a war on aviation levies across the continent.

The budget airline recently revealed its latest shakeup will see all of its routes from Maastricht Airport in the Netherlands axed from October 26. Branding the hub one of Europe's 'most expensive' airports, Ryanair slammed the airport's costs along with the country's rising aviation taxes - arguing both will 'irreparably damage Dutch connectivity'.

Maastricht Airport introduced an eco-tax back in 2021, landing Ryanair with an increasing bill of almost €30 per passenger. The mass cancellation will remove routes to popular destinations such as Alicante, Bari, Girona, Porto, and Zadar - and will result in the loss of 150,000 seats per annum, as well as five direct connections.

Ryainair's CCO Jason McGuinness said the airline was 'disappointed' with the decision, blaming Maastricht Airport for its 'soaring' taxes which have increased by 275 per cent in the last four years. "Ryanair continues to grow traffic (this year from 200m to 206m) by offering unbeatable low fares to customers across Europe at airports that have low access costs," he added.

"Maastricht's sky-high costs are damaging its connectivity. [This is] evidenced by the Airport's failure to recover its traffic post-Covid, lagging far behind the rest of Europe at just 50 per cent of pre-Covid traffic in 2024 – a figure set to fall even further following Ryanair's exit."

This isn't the first time Ryanair has retaliated against unwanted fees by pulling flights from an airport. Earlier this year, it announced it was slashing its summer traffic in Spain by 18 per cent - resulting in the loss of 800,000 seats and 12 routes. It also scrapped all flights to and from Aalborg, after Denmark confirmed a 50DKK (£5.57) fee, will be applied to all passengers departing from Denmark and will be paid for by airlines.

However, in good news for Brits - Ryanair has also unveiled a new UK flight route, scheduled to kick off in October. Twice-weekly flights will take off from Edinburgh, in Scotland, and take passengers over to the lesser-known EU city of Rzeszów in Poland. According to reports, fares will start as low as £15.

Known for its stunning architecture, rich history, and acclaimed Christmas markets, Rzeszów is the largest city in southeastern Poland and dates back to the Middle Ages. For years, it's stayed out of the tourist limelight - overshadowed by the likes of Krakow and Warsaw - but the new flights may quickly change that.

In a statement sent to the Mirror, Anton Radchenko, Aviation Expert & Founder of AirAdvisor, said the route reshuffle sends two 'clear signals'. "Regional airports in the UK are getting more love, while underperforming bases like Maastricht are being cut loose," he added. "For UK passengers, this creates more direct options from places like Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Norwich, but also leaves them exposed to short-notice route cancellations."

The Mirror has approached Maastricht Airport for comment.

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