Ryanair is set to cut 1 million passenger seats at its Belgian operations in Brussels and Charleroi in retaliation to the country’s government increasing its aviation tax.
The capacity cut also means the removal of five aircraft and 20 routes from its winter 2026/2027 schedule out of Belgium and puts thousands of jobs at risk, according to Ryanair.
According to Ryanair, the move is a direct result of the Belgian Government’s “backward decision to double its harmful aviation tax to €10 per departing passenger from 2027, and the Charleroi city council’s proposal to introduce a €3 per departing passenger tax from next year on passengers travelling from the airport.”
The airline added: “This significant increase to access costs – which was already hiked up +150% in July – makes Belgium completely uncompetitive compared to other EU markets like Sweden, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia, where governments are abolishing aviation taxes to drive traffic, tourism, and jobs. Even Germany has now recognised that aviation taxes don’t work and has revised its decision to increase aviation taxes. If the Government really wants to revive Belgium’s economy, they should abolish this harmful aviation tax to generate more traffic and tourism, not double it.
Ryanair’s Jason McGuinness said: “The De Wever Government has, bizarrely, decided to further increase Belgium’s already sky-high aviation tax by another 100% from January 2027, on top of the 150% in July last. These repeated increases to this harmful aviation tax make Belgium completely uncompetitive compared to the many other EU countries, like Sweden, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia, where Governments are abolishing aviation taxes to drive traffic, tourism, and jobs.“
