The airline has announced it will be “reviewing” its UK schedules
Ryanair’s boss has said he is set to axe hundreds of flights from UK airports, potentially impacting five million passengers, in response to the Government’s decision to hike air travel tax in the Autumn Budget. CEO Michael O’Leary announced plans to scale back the airline’s UK operations, claiming the budget had “damaged” the nation’s growth prospects and “made air travel much more expensive”.
From April 1, 2026, Air Passenger Duty (APD) for short-haul international flights will rise by £2 for economy tickets, with a 50% increase for private jet owners. Mr O’Leary stated that Ryanair would “review” its schedules, which could result in five million fewer passengers at UK airports.
He criticised the Government, saying it had “damaged tourism and damaged air travel to and from the UK”. On Friday, he added: “Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s idiotic decision to further raise the UK’s already high air travel taxes will deliver cuts, not growth.
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“This short-sighted tax grab will make air travel much more expensive for ordinary UK families going on holidays abroad and will make the UK a less competitive destination compared to Ireland, Sweden, Hungary and Italy where these Governments are abolishing travel taxes to stimulate traffic, tourism, and jobs growth in their economies.”
Ryanair has hit a new high with passenger numbers in August, flying a record 20.5 million people, reports the Mirror.
However, the airline’s profits took a nosedive earlier in the year, plummeting by 46% as average fares decreased roughly 15% during the three months leading up to June. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves addressed the Commons regarding the increase in air passenger duty, stating that due to the tax not keeping pace with inflation for several years, a minor “adjustment” was necessary, resulting in a mere £2 hike on short-haul economy flights.
The Chancellor echoed this sentiment in his Budget announcement, confirming: “Air passenger duty has not kept up with inflation in recent years so we are introducing an adjustment, meaning an increase of no more than £2 for an economy class short-haul flight.”
