The budget airline has already abandoned a number of regional airports this year, including Strasbourg, Bergerac, and Vatry, and more could be added to the list in the coming months
Ryanair has announced it will stop flying from several French regional airports due to tax changes. The budget airline has criticised a rise in taxes across the region, leading to this significant decision.
Several regional airports have already been dropped this year, including Strasbourg, Bergerac, and Vatry. Ryanair’s commercial director, Jason McGuinness, now says more French airports will join the list in the coming months.
Speaking to French magazine Challenges, he said a 180% tax increase made regional airports ‘unviable’ for the airline. The 2025 Budget introduced by the French government includes a tax hike for air travel, adding an extra cost of 4.77 euros per ticket for both domestic and European flights leaving France.
Speaking about the summer of 2026 to the magazine, Jason McGuinness, commercial director of the low-cost airline, said: “We will be leaving several regional airports in France this summer. When you increase taxes by 180%, it makes these airports unviable for us.”
The tax increase also means long-distance business-class tickets will cost up to an additional 120 euros. Initially, the French government claimed the higher taxes would bring financial benefits, but it has faced strong opposition from many parts of the aviation industry.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, previously told Le Parisien that the airline would cut its travel capacity across France if the government decided to raise taxes related to air travel. He described a significant tax increase on air travel as ‘unjustified’ because the sector doesn’t generate a substantial amount of revenue.
He said the airline could potentially double its annual passenger numbers in France by 2030, provided the government scrapped the taxes. But he warned there were more attractive options elsewhere, and threatened further capacity reductions if taxes rose again.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot hit back at Ryanair’s announcement, accusing the carrier of using ‘aggressive’ tactics to “evade their obligations”. The row comes despite Ryanair cutting its winter capacity in France by 11%, even as it added 31,000 more flights and six million extra seats compared to last winter.
The capacity reductions followed a hike in aviation taxes and the loss of approximately 7.3 million passengers due to French Air Traffic Control (ATC) disruptions. Strasbourg, Vatry, Bergerac, and Brive saw services virtually brought to a stop by the airline, whilst Beziers lost more than 100 flights during the winter season.