- Ryanair will cut five aircraft from its Charleroi base.
- The airline will remove twom seats for Winter 2026/2027 and Summer 2027.
- The move responds to a Belgian aviation tax increase from €5 to €7.
- Ryanair controls more than 80pc of Charleroi traffic.
- Eddie Wilson criticised the 250pc cumulative tax increase.
Ryanair will cut five aircraft from its Brussels Charleroi base in response to the Belgian government’s decision to increase aviation departure tax from €5 to €7 per passenger starting 1 January 2027. The airline will remove twom seats from its schedule out of both Charleroi and Brussels National for the Winter 2026/2027 and Summer 2027 seasons. Ryanair currently has nine B737-800s based at Charleroi and serves Brussels mainly through this airport.
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson criticised Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s government, labelling the 250pc cumulative tax increase “absurd” and counterproductive. Ryanair pointed out that other European nations, including Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia and Albania, are moving in the opposite direction by removing or slashing aviation taxes. The five aircraft will be permanently withdrawn from Charleroi and shifted to more competitive, lower-tax EU markets.
Ryanair historically controls more than 80pc of total passenger traffic at Charleroi. Walloon Regional Ministers expressed regret over the cuts but noted that local regional authorities had already scrapped a proposed local €3 passenger tax earlier in the year. Approximately 20 routes could be suspended.
