Ryanair announces closure of its Thessaloniki Base starting in October

Ryanair has announced the closure of its Thessaloniki base for the 2026 wintertime season. The basal presently serves 3 of the company’s aircraft. At the aforesaid time, the hose besides announced a simplification successful capableness astatine Athens Airport for wintertime 2026, arsenic good arsenic the seasonal closure of its bases successful Heraklion and Chania.

According to the company, the determination volition effect successful the nonaccomplishment of 700,000 rider seats (-45%) and 12 routes during the 2026 wintertime season.

Specifically, the hose stated that “this devastating nonaccomplishment of connectivity during the debased tourer play is the nonstop effect of the excessively uncompetitive charges imposed by the German-managed monopoly of Fraport Greece and Athens Airport.”

According to Ryanair, the Greek authorities made the close determination by reducing the Airport Development Fee (ADF) by 75% — from €12 to €3 per rider — starting successful November 2024, a determination that should person instantly strengthened year-round connectivity and tourism successful Greece. However, astir Greek airports, particularly those managed by Fraport Greece, refused to walk this simplification connected to passengers and alternatively kept the payment for themselves. Since then, Fraport Greece has continued to summation its charges, which are present much than 66% higher than pre-Covid levels. Likewise, Athens Airport volition besides summation its fees this winter.

As a result, Greek airports are nary longer competitory during the wintertime and enarthrosis tourer seasons, erstwhile the tourism manufacture relies much heavy connected low-cost airlines. Ryanair says it had nary prime but to displacement capableness to much competitory countries specified arsenic Albania, determination Italy, and Sweden, wherever airports passed authorities taxation reductions connected to passengers.

Ryanair’s reduced wintertime 2026 docket successful Greece volition include:

• Removal of 3 craft from its Thessaloniki basal (a $300 cardinal investment)
• Reduction of 700,000 seats (-45% compared with wintertime 2025)
• Cancellation of 12 routes: Thessaloniki to Berlin, Chania, Frankfurt-Hahn, Gothenburg, Heraklion, Niederrhein, Poznań, Stockholm, Venice-Treviso, Zagreb and Athens to Milan-Bergamo arsenic good arsenic Chania to Paphos
• Closure of 2 airdrome bases during wintertime operations (Chania and Heraklion)

Ryanair besides presented an ambitious maturation program to the Greek government, aiming to summation rider postulation to 12 cardinal passengers annually (+70%), adhd 10 further craft (an concern exceeding $1 billion), and motorboat 50 caller routes implicit the adjacent 5 years.

However, according to the airline, this program tin lone proceed if airdrome charges are frozen and the 75% ADF simplification is passed connected to passengers astatine each airports. Otherwise, Greece volition proceed losing concern opportunities, tourism, and rider postulation maturation portion Fraport Greece and Athens Airport proceed — arsenic Ryanair describes it — the “shameful practice” of withholding this taxation simplification benefit.

Ryanair Chief Commercial Officer Jason McGuinness stated:

“Ryanair regrets announcing the closure of its Thessaloniki basal and reductions successful Athens for wintertime 2026, which volition effect successful the nonaccomplishment of 700,000 seats and 12 routes crossed Greece, arsenic good arsenic the suspension of operations successful Chania and Heraklion during the debased tourer season. These avoidable cuts successful aerial postulation are the nonstop effect of airports failing to walk connected the ADF reduction, peculiarly successful Thessaloniki wherever the Fraport Greece monopoly has accrued charges by much than 66% since 2019.”

“The removal of 3 aircraft, 500,000 seats (-60% compared with wintertime 2025), and 10 routes from Thessaloniki for wintertime 2026 volition beryllium devastating for the metropolis and region, arsenic Ryanair provided 90% of Thessaloniki’s planetary low-cost capableness past winter. Unfortunately, determination volition nary longer beryllium debased fares for the citizens and visitors of Thessaloniki, and year-round tourism volition besides suffer. These craft volition alternatively beryllium transferred to Albania, determination Italy, and Sweden, wherever airports passed connected the government’s taxation reductions — starring to greater connectivity, tourism, and jobs successful those regions during winter.”

“There is an accidental for Greece to unafraid important year-round rider growth. However, this concern tin lone hap if the German-managed monopoly of Fraport Greece afloat passes connected the Greek government’s taxation simplification from November 2024, enabling airlines specified arsenic Ryanair to supply the connectivity needed to trim Greece’s chronic seasonality.”