Ryanair has fired an unmistakable warning shot at Belgium’s new aviation-ticket levy. On 9 December the Irish carrier said it will cut around 1 million seats—22 % of its current capacity—in the Belgian winter 2026/27 timetable. Twenty routes will disappear (13 from Charleroi, seven from Brussels Airport) and five Boeing 737s now based in Belgium will be redeployed elsewhere.
The trigger is the federal government’s decision to double the existing air-passenger duty to €10 per departing traveller from 2027, a move intended to raise €190 million a year. Charleroi city council is meanwhile studying an additional €3 local tax from 2026. Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary called the combined hikes “tourism suicide”, arguing they will make Belgium one of the most expensive short-haul markets in Europe and hand market share to airports in neighbouring countries that are reducing or scrapping similar charges.
![Ryanair slashes 1 million seats from Belgian winter schedule over new ticket tax]()
For corporate mobility managers the announcement is more than brinkmanship. Belgian-based multinationals rely heavily on Ryanair for point-to-point travel across the EU. Removing 20 routes will force travellers onto longer routings via hub airports or into higher-fare full-service carriers, pushing up travel budgets and carbon footprints alike. Airports also face knock-on effects: Charleroi estimates the loss of the five aircraft represents €500 million in forgone investment and threatens hundreds of direct and indirect jobs.
Industry groups have urged Prime Minister Bart De Wever to rethink the levy and to align Belgium with Germany, which last month rolled back its own aviation taxes after similar capacity cuts. Should the Belgian tax proceed, analysts expect further reductions at Charleroi—Ryanair’s second-largest base—potentially undermining Belgium’s connectivity to secondary European cities.
The trigger is the federal government’s decision to double the existing air-passenger duty to €10 per departing traveller from 2027, a move intended to raise €190 million a year. Charleroi city council is meanwhile studying an additional €3 local tax from 2026. Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary called the combined hikes “tourism suicide”, arguing they will make Belgium one of the most expensive short-haul markets in Europe and hand market share to airports in neighbouring countries that are reducing or scrapping similar charges.
For corporate mobility managers the announcement is more than brinkmanship. Belgian-based multinationals rely heavily on Ryanair for point-to-point travel across the EU. Removing 20 routes will force travellers onto longer routings via hub airports or into higher-fare full-service carriers, pushing up travel budgets and carbon footprints alike. Airports also face knock-on effects: Charleroi estimates the loss of the five aircraft represents €500 million in forgone investment and threatens hundreds of direct and indirect jobs.
Industry groups have urged Prime Minister Bart De Wever to rethink the levy and to align Belgium with Germany, which last month rolled back its own aviation taxes after similar capacity cuts. Should the Belgian tax proceed, analysts expect further reductions at Charleroi—Ryanair’s second-largest base—potentially undermining Belgium’s connectivity to secondary European cities.
Source: Reuters
