Ryanair is ending flights to popular winter sun islands blaming 'rising costs'

Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost carrier, will cease all flights to Portugal's Azores islands from March 29, 2026. The airline attributes this significant route reduction to escalating airport fees and what it terms "anti-competitive enviro taxes," directly impacting its operational viability in the region. This decision will eliminate six routes, including seasonal connections from London Stansted and Bristol Airport, along with year-round services from Lisbon and Porto, leaving the remote archipelago with significantly reduced low-fare connectivity.

Jason McGuinness, Ryanair's Chief Commercial Officer, explicitly criticized the Portuguese airport monopoly ANA, managed by French operator VINCI, for imposing what he described as "excessive airport charges." These fees have reportedly surged by up to 35% since the COVID-19 pandemic, making operations in the Azores economically unfeasible for the budget airline. McGuinness also highlighted the perceived unfairness of EU environmental taxes, which he claims exempt more polluting long-haul flights while burdening short-haul and regional connections crucial for remote EU regions like the Azores.

The airline's withdrawal marks the end of a decade of year-round Ryanair operations to the Azores, a move that will severely impact Portuguese tourism and local employment, according to the carrier. Ryanair has urged the Portuguese Government to intervene, emphasizing that airports are critical national infrastructure, especially for island economies, and should serve the public interest rather than a foreign monopoly. This action follows Ryanair's previous abandonment of several regional airports in France in 2025, including Strasbourg and Bergerac, due to similar cost pressures, signaling a broader trend of the airline relocating capacity to lower-cost airports across its extensive European network.