Ryanair Pulls Five Jets From Charleroi as Belgium's Passenger Tax Bites

Ryanair confirmed on July 22, 2026 that it will withdraw five aircraft from Brussels Charleroi Airport and cut roughly two million seats and 20 routes from its Belgian schedule across winter 2026/27 and summer 2027. The airline blames a national passenger tax rising to €7 per ticket from January 2027, layered on top of a proposed €3-per-passenger municipal levy at Charleroi. Travelers booking flights to or from Belgium on Europe's largest low-cost carrier should expect thinner route maps and, per Ryanair, higher fares as competition eases.

What's Actually Being Cut

Cuts: 5 aircraft withdrawn from Charleroi · ~2 million seats · 20 routes (13 from Charleroi, 7 from Brussels Zaventem) · an estimated $500 million in withdrawn investment.

Ryanair says the reductions land across the winter 2026/27 and summer 2027 schedules, a 22% cut to its Belgian capacity, according to Belgian broadcaster VRT NWS. The airline first flagged roughly half of that reduction back in January, when it announced plans to cut 1.1 million seats in 2026 alone, per Aviation A2Z's coverage of the original announcement; this week's update confirms the full two-year plan is going ahead as threatened.

Why Belgium's Tax Keeps Moving

Tax path: €2 (Jan 2025) → threatened €10 → scaled back to €7 per ticket on flights over 500km from January 2027 · plus a proposed €3 Charleroi municipal charge.

Belgium's federal government originally floated a fivefold jump to €10 per passenger before backing off under industry pressure, settling on a smaller €7 rate, per Travel Tomorrow. Ryanair's own statement calls the increase "silly" and says it makes an average Charleroi fare roughly 20% more expensive, a claim laid out in the carrier's corporate press release.

An Economist Isn't So Sure

Skeptic: Wouter Dewulf, aviation economist at the University of Antwerp.

Dewulf told VRT that Ryanair "always has between 11 and 18 aircraft at Charleroi" and routinely trims winter capacity for maintenance regardless of tax policy. He points instead to Ryanair's 34% profit drop to €593 million last quarter, driven by fuel costs and the Middle East conflict, as a more likely reason for trimming marginal routes — with the tax fight providing useful cover.

Which Routes Travelers Lose

Dropped destinations: among those affected are Milan-Bergamo, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome-Ciampino, Krakow and Mallorca.

The route list spans both of Ryanair's Belgian bases, and Euronews' running list of 2026 cuts shows Belgium is far from the only market losing Ryanair capacity this year, with Germany, Spain and France also seeing reductions. Winter capacity at Charleroi was reinstated to a full schedule earlier this year before this latest round of cuts, according to VisaHQ's tracking of the dispute, underscoring how unsettled the schedule has been. Travelers with existing bookings on axed routes should watch for rebooking notices well before their travel dates.

Belgium Bucks a Continent-Wide Trend

Elsewhere: Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy and Albania have cut or scrapped aviation taxes to attract airline capacity.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary argues aircraft and passengers are mobile, and that growth "lost" to Belgian tax hikes simply shifts to lower-tax neighbors. Notably, Wallonia's regional government scrapped its own passenger levy earlier this year, prompting Ryanair to reinstate a full summer 2026 schedule at Charleroi, according to Aviation24.be — evidence that the airline does reverse course when a tax is actually dropped rather than raised.

People Also Ask

Why is Ryanair cutting flights from Belgium?

Ryanair says it's responding to Belgium's rising air passenger tax, which climbs to €7 per ticket on longer flights from January 2027, plus a proposed €3 municipal charge at Charleroi. The airline is withdrawing five aircraft and roughly two million seats through winter 2026/27 and summer 2027.

Which Ryanair routes from Belgium are being cancelled?

Reported cuts include Milan-Bergamo, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome-Ciampino, Krakow and Mallorca, spread across both Brussels Charleroi and Brussels Zaventem. Thirteen of the 20 dropped routes fly from Charleroi.

Will flights from Belgium get more expensive?

Ryanair says the combined tax increases could push average Charleroi fares up roughly 20%. Reduced competition on affected routes could add further pressure, though final fares depend on demand and whether other carriers add capacity.

Is Ryanair's tax explanation the full story?

Not necessarily. Aviation economist Wouter Dewulf notes Ryanair typically reduces winter capacity at Charleroi anyway and suggests weaker quarterly profits — down 34% on higher fuel costs — may also be driving the cuts, with the tax dispute offering convenient political cover.

Are other European countries raising aviation taxes too?

The trend runs the other way in several markets. Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy and Albania have recently cut or eliminated aviation taxes specifically to keep low-cost carriers flying, making Belgium something of an outlier.

Facts checked against sources current as of July 23, 2026. Confirm route availability and fares directly with Ryanair before booking.