RYANAIR is set to cancel hundreds of flights to and from a popular European country.
Two million seats will be axed from the winter season in Belgium and next summer due to rising air passenger tax.
The airline said today that it would be removing five aircraft from its base at Charleroi, according to local media.
Cuts will affect services at Charleroi and Brussels Airport in Zaventem starting later this year.
Ryanair said the axing of routes is a decision made as part of the Federal Government’s plan to increase the departure tax on air tickets.
Just a few days ago, the Belgian government announced it would raise the amount from €5 (£4.26) to €7 (£5.97) from January 1, 2027.
Despite this being lower than expected, Ryanair said it is still too high.
When the tax increase was announced at the beginning of the year, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary slammed the plans, calling them “silly” and “damaging”.
He added: “Over the last 20 years, Ryanair has grown to be Belgium’s largest airline.
“This growth can easily be lost to tax abolishing countries like Sweden Hungary, Slovakia and Italy, and if Charleroi and Belgium don’t reverse these taxes.”
Ryanair currently carries 11.6million passengers to and from Belgium, making it the largest airline operating in the country.
It’s not yet clear whether the routes axed will be from the UK.
Current flights routes to Charleroi include from Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh.