Ryanair Greek base closure is set to remove 700,000 seats across Greece in Winter ‘26, with the carrier closing its three-aircraft Thessaloniki base and cutting 12 routes. The move also suspends operations at Chania and Heraklion during the off-peak months.
Thessaloniki loses 500000 seats
500,000 seats and 10 routes are coming out of Thessaloniki alone, the steepest part of the Winter ‘26 plan. Jason McGuinness, Ryanair chief commercial officer, said: “The removal of 3 based aircraft, 500,000 seats (-60% vs. Winter ‘25) and 10 routes from Thessaloniki for Winter ‘26 will be devastating for the city and region, as Ryanair provided 90% of international capacity to Thessaloniki last Winter.”
90% of Thessaloniki’s international capacity last winter came from Ryanair, so the base closure hits the city’s winter network first. For travelers, that means fewer options on routes that had been anchored by the airline’s own aircraft and schedule.
Athens charges and Greece
75% is the size of the Airport Development Fee cut the Greek government made in November 2024, taking the charge from €12 to €3 per passenger. Ryanair said most Greek airports did not pass that reduction through to passengers, and added that Athens Airport will hike charges this winter.
66% above pre-Covid levels is how Ryanair described Fraport Greece charges now, a cost gap it says is pushing capacity elsewhere. The company said it has reallocated aircraft to Albania, regional Italy and Sweden instead of keeping them in Greece.
Ryanair's 12 million-passenger plan
12 million passengers per annum, 10 additional aircraft and 50 new routes formed the growth plan Ryanair said it presented to the Greek government over five years. The carrier said that plan would require US$1 billion in incremental investment.
700,000 seats removed from Greece, plus the shutdown of Thessaloniki’s three-aircraft base, leaves winter travelers with fewer low-cost choices across the country. McGuinness said growth in Greece can only be delivered if airport charges are frozen and the 75% fee reduction is passed on to passengers at all airports.
