Carrier Reducing Capacity By 13% Over 25 Routes

Ryanair announced plans to cease flights at three French regional airports and cut its total capacity in response to the French government’s excessive hikes in air taxes.

The low-cost carrier says it is reducing capacity in France by 13% at least through the upcoming winter season. The cutback will result in 750,000 fewer seats and the cancellation of 25 routes. Ryanair will also cease operations at Bergerac, Brive, and Strasbourg airports.

Ryanair’s move comes on the heels of the French government’s decision to increase its Airline Ticket Solidarity in March despite heavy criticism from aviation groups.

The tax hikes are not little ones, either: on domestic and European flights the per passenger tax on economy bookings jumped from €2.63 to €7.40 and for business class flights the tax went from €20.27 to €30 per passenger.

The medium-haul flight tax increased from €7.51 to €15 for economy and premium economy passengers, and long-haul economy and premium economy passengers now pay €40, up from €7.51 and €120 in business class, up from €63.07.

Jason McGuinness, Chief Commercial Officer of Ryanair said, “Unless the government changes course and abolishes this unfair air tax, Ryanair's capacity and investment in France will inevitably be redirected to more competitive European markets such as Sweden, Hungary or parts of Italy, where governments are actively removing air taxes to stimulate traffic, tourism, employment and economic recovery.”

"It is unacceptable that a major European country like France is falling so far behind the rest of the EU, with traffic still below pre-Covid levels, because of excessive government-imposed taxes and security charges, which are rendering many French regional routes unprofitable, particularly in winter," he added.

He said the airline “could envisage ambitious growth in France in the coming years” including a $2.5 billion investment in new aircraft and doubling traffic to more than 30 million passengers per year. But only “if the French government decides to completely eliminate this harmful air tax.”

FMI:  www.ryanair.com/