Ryanair has cut flights to Denmark following the country’s government imposing a “harmful” tax on airlines.

The budget Irish carrier announced that it will close its Billund base, cutting all routes to and from Aalborg at the end of March.

The scrapped service is a response to Denmark’s “bizarre” decision to introduce an aviation tax of up to DKK 50 (£5.60) per departing passenger last month.

No direct flights will connect the UK to Aalborg after Ryanair stops its route from Stansted to the Danish town.

Other carriers, including British Airways, fly directly to Billund, with KLM and Norwegian offering journeys via Amsterdam or Copenhagen to Aalborg, but prices are unlikely to compete with Ryanair’s one-way fares from £14.99.

According to the airline, Ryanair’s move to reallocate flights to other “competing” EU countries will see Denmark lose 1.7 million seats, 32 routes and two aircraft for summer 2025.

Ryanair said Denmark is “one of the few EU countries” yet to recover its pre-Covid traffic – operating at 95 per cent of its 2019 levels.

The airline is now looking to reroute operations to destinations in Sweden, Italy, and Hungary, which are “abolishing their aviation taxes”.

Staff, pilots and cabin crew based at Billund have been offered positions at other bases within the Ryanair Group network.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “We are very disappointed to announce the closure of our two-aircraft Billund base and our operations at Aalborg from the end of March, but we have been left with no other choice following the Danish government’s short-sighted decision to introduce a harmful aviation tax from Jan 2025.

“Ryanair is the only major airline growing in Europe, and cost is the main factor when deciding where to allocate aircraft and growth.”

They added that Denmark’s “connectivity, traffic, jobs, economic recovery, and growth will suffer irreparable damage”, highlighting the impact on regional airports “reliant on efficient, low-cost air travel”.

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