Low-cost carrier Ryanair officially announced on Friday that it will close its operating base at Thessaloniki Airport at the end of October. Reason for the closure is the increased annual fees by the airport operator Fraport, a Ryanair executive said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Athens, Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer Jason McGuinness said there was no progress in talks between the low-cost carrier and Fraport which has increased charges for airlines operating at some Greek airports.
“Fraport Greece continued to increase charges, which are now 66% above pre-Covid level”, McGuinness said, adding capacity at Athens airport will be reduced for the upcoming winter.
The combined moves will result in the loss of 700,000 passenger seats and 12 routes across Greece and also the suspension of operations at Chania and Heraklion airports on Crete during off-peak months, he added.
The decision also concerns the reduction of capacity at Athens Airport for the winter of 2026
Ryanair had informed its employees about the closure two days ago after rumors in Thessaloniki had upset the local business and tourism community.
The decision for the Thessaloniki base, which serves three of the company’s aircraft, also concerns the reduction of capacity at Athens Airport for the winter of 2026, while it is attributed to the “excessive and uncompetitive charges” of Fraport and Athens International Airport.
According to a Ryanair announcement “the catastrophic loss of connectivity during the low tourist season is a direct result of the excessively uncompetitive charges imposed by the German-run Fraport Greece monopoly and Athens Airport.”
According to the company, the Greek government made the right decision to reduce the Airport Development Fee (ADF) by 75% – from 12 euros to 3 euros per passenger – from November 2024, which should immediately boost connectivity and tourism throughout the year in Greece. However, most Greek airports, especially those managed by Fraport Greece, refused to pass this reduction on to passengers.
According to Ryanair, they kept the benefit for themselves. “Since then, Fraport Greece has continued to increase its charges, which are now over 66% higher than pre-Covid levels. Accordingly, Athens Airport will also increase its charges this winter,” he stresses.
As a result, Greek airports are no longer competitive during the winter and mid-season tourist season, when the tourism industry’s dependence on low-cost airlines is greatest.
Ryanair said it had no choice but to transfer its capacity to more competitive countries, such as Albania, peripheral Italy and Sweden, where airports passed on government tax cuts to passengers.
Ryanair’s reduced schedule for the winter of 2026 in Greece will include:
1- Removal of 3 aircraft from the Thessaloniki base (investment of 300 million dollars)
2- Reduction of 700,000 seats (-45% compared to winter 2025)
Abolition of 12 routes (Thessaloniki to Berlin, Chania, Frankfurt-Hahn, Gothenburg, Heraklion, Niederrhein, Poznan, Stockholm, Venice-Treviso, Zagreb and Athens to Milan-Bergamo, as well as Chania to Paphos)
Closing of 2 airports (Chania and Heraklion)
Ryanair also presented an ambitious development plan to the Greek government, aiming to increase passenger traffic to 12 million passengers per year (+70%), the addition of 10 additional aircraft (an investment of over $1 billion) and the launch of 50 new routes over the next five years. However, according to the company, this plan can only be implemented if airport charges are frozen and if the 75% reduction in ADF is passed on to passengers at all airports. Otherwise, Greece will continue to lose investment opportunities, tourism and passenger traffic growth, as long as Fraport Greece and Athens Airport continue — as Ryanair reports — the “shameful practice” of withholding this tax reduction.
So far, there is no reaction by the Greek government or even the Tourism Ministry itself, as the Ryanair actions will heavily affect the so-called “heavy industry” of the country.
