Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (23^rd Oct) launched its Winter 2024 schedule for Copenhagen, with 29 routes including 4 exciting new routes to Barcelona, Bristol, Poznań and Sofia, giving Danish citizens/visitors more choice at the lowest fares in Europe. Why not meander through Las Ramblas in Barcelona, bask in the culture of Bristol’s industrial heritage, stroll through Poznań’s Old Market Square and by the scenic Malta Lake or take in Sofia’s many churches representing different eras of its rich history?

While Ryanair continues to invest, grow traffic & tourism to Copenhagen, and provide much-needed competition to high-fare carriers, like SAS & Norwegian, this growth is in jeopardy of the Govt’s ridiculous proposal to introduce an Aviation Tax of DKK 50 per departing passenger from Jan 2025, which they are dressing up as a fake ‘eco tax’.  

Denmark is one of the few European States that has yet to recover its pre-Covid traffic at just 95% of its 2019 levels. If Denmark introduces this Aviation Tax, it would make Danish air travel even less competitive than other EU States, such as Sweden, where the Govt determined that aviation taxes do nothing to promote sustainable aviation but only damage economic growth, tourism, and employment, whilst also limiting low fare connectivity. As a result, the Swedish Govt made the pragmatic and forward-thinking decision to abolish the Aviation Tax, which Ryanair responded to by adding 2 extra aircraft ($200m investment), 10 new routes, and 60 new jobs for Sweden’s Summer 2025 schedule. 

Ryanair calls on the Danish Govt to follow Sweden’s example and scrap its plans to introduce an Aviation Tax, and instead make Denmark more competitive and attractive for airlines, like Ryanair, to invest, grow and deliver more low fare routes, which Denmark needs if it is to fully recover its pre-Covid traffic, as most other EU countries already have.

Ryanair’s Dara Brady said:

“Despite Ryanair’s significant post-Covid growth in Denmark (+35%), including 4 new Copenhagen routes (Barcelona, Bristol, Poznań & Sofia) for Winter 2024, Denmark is one of the few European countries (like Germany) that has failed to recover its pre-Covid traffic due to its high access costs and high airport charges. Despite this, the Govt is absurdly proposing to introduce a new Aviation Tax from Jan 2025, which would make Denmark even less competitive than other EU States, who are abolishing taxes and lowering airport costs to stimulate traffic growth.

Ryanair is the only major airline growing traffic in Europe, and cost is the main factor we consider when deciding where to allocate our new aircraft and growth. Ryanair calls on the Danish Govt to follow Sweden’s example, scrap its plans to introduce an Aviation Tax, and instead promote policies to lower costs to incentivise growth and competition to high fare national flag carrier, SAS.”