Ryanair cuts 700,000 seats to Greece, blames Germany
Just don't mention the war!
Everybody likes to bag on Ryanair, the budget airline that seems as focused on selling already drunk Irishmen booze as it is on passenger safety (and these should not be two sides of the same coin). But hey, it’s cheap!
Now the airline is mad, and with seemingly good reason.
Today Ryanair announced the closure of its three aircraft Thessaloniki base and reductions in capacity at Athens Airport for winter 2026, resulting in the loss of 700,000 seats (-45%) and 12 routes for the upcoming winter ’26 season. Yikes!
In a statement, the airline said “this devastating loss in off-peak winter connectivity is the direct result of the hopelessly uncompetitive costs charged at the German-run Fraport Greece monopoly and Athens Airport.”
In a press release Ryanair credits the Greek government with reducing an Airport Development Fee by 75% from €12 to €3 per passenger, but asserts that “most Greek airports, particularly those run by Fraport Greece, refused to pass the tax cut onto passengers and instead have pocketed the tax cut for themselves.”
Hard to imagine German corporate fatcats pocketing savings for themselves, right? Fraport is joint venture 65% owned by a German transport company based in Frankfurt. It’s one of the world's leading airport operators, managing hubs like Frankfurt Airport — by the way, one of the most awful airports anywhere (though not as bad as Dallas).
What does this mean for you, the traveler? Fewer choices when it comes to booking budget-friendly tickets to Greece. Ryanair Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness said, “the closure of our Thessaloniki base and reductions in Athens for Winter ‘26 [will] result in the loss of 700,000 seats and 12 routes across Greece, as well as the suspension of operations at Chania and Heraklion during the off-peak months.”
Chania and Heraklion are the largest cities in Crete.
While there will likely be no impact for summer travel, Ryanair’s decision — which could be a negotiating tactic — will almost certainly result in fewer choices for air travel to Greece in the off-season.
