Low-cost carrier Ryanair will axe its Brussels Zaventem service to Marrakesh from November, part of a wider decision to scrap 20 Belgian routes and remove six aircraft for the Winter 2026/27 season. The news, first reported on 23 October 2026, reduces the airline’s presence at Belgium’s main airport to a single Dublin connection; affected leisure and VFR (visiting-friends-and-relatives) traffic will need to reroute via Brussels South Charleroi, where Ryanair will maintain limited Marrakesh frequencies. CEO Michael O’Leary blames Belgium’s escalating federal ticket tax, which rose from €2 in 2025 to €5 this year and is set to jump to €7 in January 2027—a 250 percent increase. Ryanair says the levy makes Zaventem “uncompetitive” versus lower-cost bases elsewhere in Europe and claims the cuts will eliminate 1.1 million seats, €600 million in aircraft investment and hundreds of seasonal jobs. Tourism bodies worry the decision could dampen inbound Moroccan visitor numbers just as Brussels promotes itself as a North African culinary and cultural hub. Travel agents serving the expatriate Moroccan community fear higher fares and longer surface journeys to Charleroi—around 60 kilometres from the capital—will deter spontaneous trips. For corporate mobility teams, the immediate action is to rebook travellers on alternative carriers (Brussels Airlines, TUI fly or Royal Air Maroc) or adjust itineraries through Charleroi. Companies with staff commuting between Belgium and Morocco should review cost projections: higher taxes and reduced capacity typically translate into fare hikes of 10-15 percent in shoulder periods. Meanwhile, the Belgian government shows no sign of reversing the tax, arguing that environmental objectives and budget pressures outweigh airline complaints.
Source: Bladna.nl
