+80% GROWTH FOR W25/S26 AFTER ABRUZZO REGION SCRAPS THE MUNICIPAL TAX
Ryanair, Europe, and Italy’s No. 1 airline, today (Fri, 28th Nov) announced record Winter 2025 and Summer 2026 schedules for Pescara Airport, including 2 year-round based aircraft (for the first time ever during the Winter season), representing a US$200m investment in the region. This record investment from Ryanair will deliver more than 1.3 million passengers p.a. (+80% growth since the Mun Tax was scrapped) to Pescara, further demonstrating how President Marsilio’s removal of the Municipal Tax continues to fuel year-round growth, connectivity, tourism and economic growth in the Abruzzo Region.
Ryanair’s record W25 and S26 schedules to Pescara will deliver:
- 2 based aircraft – US$200m tot. invest.
- W25: 14 routes, 8 new: Cagliari, Milan Malpensa, Kaunas, Krakow, Trapani-Marsala, Turin, Valencia, and Wroclaw.
- S26: 21 routes, 1 new: Tirana & 1 reinstated: Milan Bergamo.
- Over 1.3m passengers p.a. (+80% vs 2024).
- Supp. over 1,000 jobs in the Abruzzo Region, incl. over 60 well paid pilots & crew.
Pescara Airport and the Abruzzo Region have become significantly more competitive and attractive for investment thanks to President Marsilio’s forward-thinking decision to scrap the Municipal Tax. Abruzzo was the third Italian region to scrap this regressive tax and since then, Ryanair has responded by adding one new aircraft (incremental +US$100m invest.), +80% traffic growth and supporting over 1,000 jobs – delivering more year-round connectivity at Europe’s lowest fares for the citizens of Abruzzo. However, if the rest of Italy wants to remain competitive compared to competing European countries such as Albania, Sweden and Slovakia which are actively reducing access costs, the Italian Government must abolish the Municipal Tax at all Italian airports to stimulate traffic, tourism, and job growth nationwide.
To celebrate this record growth in Pescara, Ryanair has launched a 3-day seat sale with fares from €34.99 to travel until the end of June, available from today for booking only at ryanair.com.
From Pescara, Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness, said:
“As Italy’s No.1 airline, Ryanair is delighted to announce another year of record growth and investment at Pescara Airport – which is a direct result of President Marsilio’s move to abolish the punitive Municipal Tax in 2025. This strategic decision has allowed Ryanair to grow traffic to more than 1.3m annual passengers (+80% versus 2024) and unlock the Abruzzo Region’s full year-round potential. As part of this continuous growth, we are pleased to unveil our record Winter 2025 and Summer 2026 schedules today – delivering ever more domestic and international routes across both seasons, making it easier than ever for passengers to access Abruzzo’s stunning coastline and mountains, vibrant cities, and unique cultural heritage.
Today’s announcement demonstrates the transformative growth Ryanair can deliver to airports and regions that lower access costs. This move has unlocked year-round growth, delivering enhanced low-fare travel options, boosting inbound tourism, and supporting more than 1,000 jobs across the Abruzzo Region. However, it’s time for the Italian Government to accelerate traffic growth and increase competitiveness at all Italian airports.
Ryanair, therefore, calls on the Italian Government to scrap the Municipal Tax nationwide. Removing this unnecessary charge would enable Ryanair to deliver an additional 20 million passengers annually, 40 more aircraft worth $4bn, 15,000 new Ryanair jobs and over 250 new routes which would drive year-round tourism, investment, and employment across all of Italy.”
Abruzzo’s Region President, Marco Marsilio, said:
The equation of lower taxes plus more passengers works, and the results are evident. In Saga’s business plan, the goal of surpassing one million passengers was set for 2026, but we have brought it forward, and next year the number of passengers will be further increased. I see a lively airport; there is enthusiasm among the staff, and this is a source of pride for everyone. I hope that this significant growth serves as an incentive for other carriers, because this is an efficient, functional, and cost-effective airport. The new challenge is to improve the infrastructure to accommodate the arrival of more passengers with the new flights.”
Giorgio Fraccastoro, SAGA (Abruzzo Airport) President, said:
“With the achievement of one million passengers, which we wanted to celebrate by symbolically honoring a traveler, a new phase has begun for Abruzzo Airport, generating an increasingly significant impact for the entire regional territory. This has been made possible thanks to the synergy established with Ryanair and the Region. We are experiencing the busiest winter season ever for the airport, and the summer season will further increase last year’s already record numbers, with destinations being strengthened and frequencies increased in light of the excellent results achieved. The hope is that this relationship with the airline will grow stronger every day and that new routes, part of the airport users’ wishlist, can also be opened.”
To celebrate the milestone of one million passengers at the airport, the President of the Abruzzo Region, Marco Marsilio, the President of Saga, Giorgio Fraccastoro, and Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness, presented a Ryanair gift card and two vouchers for experiences in Abruzzo, provided by Il Bosso and Majellando, to Gaia from Tuscany and Lorenzo from Marche, two passengers transiting through the airport on their way to Brussels.
44 ROUTES, 11 AIRCRAFT ($1BN+ INV) & TRAFFIC GROWTH TO 6M P.A.
Ryanair, Europe and Italy’s No.1 airline, today (Thurs, 27th Nov) announced its Winter 2025 schedule for Bologna. This year’s Winter schedule will deliver 6 million passengers p.a., 44 routes, including one exciting reinstated route to Amman and 11 based aircraft ($1bn+ investment), supporting over 4,800 local jobs, while driving year-round inbound tourism in Bologna.
Ryanair has also added extra flights on more than 20 popular existing routes, including Barcelona, Budapest, Dublin, Krakow, and Tirana, offering customers across Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region even more choice at Europe’s lowest fares, further establishing the airport as a key gateway for leisure and business travel in Northern Italy.
Ryanair’s Bologna W25 schedule will deliver:
- 44 total routes
- 1 reinstated route to Amman
- Increased freq. on 20+ existing routes incl. Barcelona, Budapest, Dublin, Krakow, and Tirana
- 11 based aircraft – over $1bn invest.
- 6M pax p.a.
- Supp. over 4,800 jobs
Ryanair has been flying to and from Bologna for 17 years, carrying over 55 million passengers to date, and remains committed to investing in and growing traffic across the Emilia-Romagna region and Italy. To boost Italian tourism, Ryanair is urging the Italian Government and regional authorities to abolish the Municipal Tax at all Italian airports. Ryanair is ready to respond immediately if this happens with a major investment that would deliver 20 million additional passengers, 40 new based aircraft ($4 billion investment), 250 new routes and 1,500 new Ryanair jobs—supporting up to 15,000 jobs across the country.
To celebrate the Winter 2025 schedule and the reinstated route from Bologna to Amman, Ryanair has launched a 3-day seat sale with fares from just €34.99 to travel until the end of June, available from today for booking only at ryanair.com.
Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness, said:
“As Italy’s No.1 airline, Ryanair is delighted to announce its Winter 2025 schedule for Bologna, featuring 44 routes, including an exciting reinstated connection to Amman and over 520 weekly flights, offering over 2.2 million low fares seats this Winter (+10% vs W24). This schedule reflects Ryanair’s ongoing commitment to the Emilia-Romagna region, boosting inbound tourism, enhancing connectivity, and offering customers across Bologna and the region even more choice at Europe’s lowest fares.
We’ve operated to and from Bologna for 17 years, carrying over 55 million passengers to date and have invested over $1 billion with 11 Bologna-based aircraft, supporting more than 4,800 local jobs. Ryanair is ready to invest even more: if the Italian Government abolishes the Municipal Tax at all Italian airports, we will respond immediately with 40 new aircraft, 250 additional routes, 20 million more passengers and 1,500 new Ryanair jobs—supporting up to 15,000 jobs across Italy.”
Antonello Bonolis, Director of Business Aviation at Bologna Airport, said:
“The collaboration between Bologna Airport and Ryanair continues to develop positively. Launched in 2008, the partnership with the Dublin-based carrier has contributed to the growth of our city and region as well-known and appreciated tourist destinations at an international level. Moreover, Ryanair’s flight offer has supported outgoing travel for people and businesses in our region, thanks to a very extensive and diversified network of routes. Today, Ryanair is the leading airline at Bologna Airport, accounting for around 55% of the airport’s total passengers. More generally, it should be remembered that the overall contribution of Bologna Airport to the community and the economy translates into benefits in terms of employment, added value, and GDP, generating a direct, indirect, and induced impact of over 1 billion euros in GDP and more than 20,000 jobs in the area.”
Ryanair today (26 Nov) welcomes the Berlin Regional Court permanent injunction prohibiting Edreams from using a “misleading” statement regarding alleged savings and from using a number of its Edreams Prime terms and conditions that the Berlin Court found were unlawful and therefore unfair under the German Unfair Competition Act.
The Berlin Court granted the permanent injunction following its October 2024 findings that several Edreams Prime terms were “unlawful”, “misleading” and a violation of the “transparency requirement” under German consumer protection law. The permanent injunction, issued after Edreams agreed to address transparency breaches identified by Ryanair, prohibits Edreams from failing to disclose when Prime fee increases may occur, from imposing terms that imply continued use of Prime equals acceptance of price hikes, and from making misleading savings claims.
Ryanair’s spokesperson said:
“We welcome the Berlin Regional Court’s decision to grant a permanent injunction prohibiting Edreams from using Edreams Prime terms and conditions that the Court has previously found to be “unlawful” or “misleading” under the German Unfair Competition Act and also terms that the Court found to be in violation of the “transparency requirements” under German consumer protection law.
Ryanair again calls on EU Consumer Protection Authorities to take urgent action to safeguard consumers across Europe by applying transparency standards and consumer protections that match the high standards applied by Ryanair’s OTA partners.”
AZORES LOSES 6 ROUTES & 400,000 PASSENGERS P.A.
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Thurs 20 Nov) announced that it will cancel all flights to/from the Azores from 29 March 2026 onwards due to high airport fees (set by the French airport monopoly ANA) and Portuguese Govt. inaction that has increased ATC charges by +120% post covid and introduced a €2 travel tax, at a time when other EU States are abolishing travel taxes to secure scare capacity growth.
Sadly, the ANA monopoly has no plan to grow low-fare connectivity to the Azores. The ANA monopoly faces no competition in Portugal – which has allowed it to extract monopoly profits, by raising Portuguese airport fees without penalty – at a time when competing EU airports are lowering fees to stimulate growth. The Portuguese Govt. must intervene and ensure that its airports which are a critical part of national infrastructure – especially in an island economy like the Azores – are used to benefit the Portuguese people, rather than benefitting a French airport monopoly.
The competitiveness of remote European regions – such as the Azores – is being damaged by the EU’s anti-competitive enviro taxes. EU ETS is levied on intra-European flights only, while more polluting long-haul flights to the US and Middle East are excluded. Rather than making European aviation more competitive (by reducing ETS), the EU has expanded ETS to cover remote regions like the Azores – while exempting non-EU competitors like Turkey and Morocco. Ryanair again calls on Ursula von der Leyen to ensure there is a level playing field on EU environmental taxes, by immediately bringing ETS rates into line with CORSIA.
Ryanair’s CCO Jason McGuinness said:
“We are disappointed that the French airport monopoly ANA continues to raise Portuguese airport fees to line its pockets, at the expense of Portuguese tourism and jobs – particularly on the Portuguese islands. As a direct result of these rising costs, we have been left with no alternative other than to cancel all Azores flights from 29 March 2026 onwards and relocate this capacity to lower cost airports elsewhere in the extensive Ryanair Group network across Europe.
This loss of low fare connectivity to the Azores is direct result of the French monopoly airport operator – VINCI – imposing excessive airport charges across Portugal (which have risen by up to 35% since Covid) and the anti-competitive enviro taxes imposed by the EU, which exempt more polluting long haul flights to the US and Middle East, at the expense of EU remote regions such as the Azores. After 10 years of year-round Ryanair operations, one of Europe’s most remote regions will now lose direct low-fare flights to London, Brussels, Lisbon, and Porto due to ANA’s high airport fees and Portuguese Govt. inaction.
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Thurs, 20 Nov) welcomed the latest Spanish (Vigo) Court’s conviction of a disruptive passenger (he received an 8-month prison sentence & €10,000 fine) after he assaulted passengers onboard a Ryanair flight from London to Lisbon in December 2023. This unacceptable behaviour forced this flight to divert to Vigo, causing 6 crew and 179 other passengers (many of whom were travelling with young families) to suffer an unnecessary 2 hour delay in Vigo Airport.
Ryanair will not accept disruptive behaviour onboard our flights and we will continue to pursue and prosecute such disruptive passengers.
Ryanair’s Jade Kirwan said:
“It is unacceptable that a tiny number of disruptive passengers misbehave on our flights and upset or delay their fellow passengers. We welcome this Spanish Court’s conviction of this disruptive passenger who has received an 8-month sentence and a €10,000 fine as a result of his unacceptable behaviour onboard a London to Lisbon flight in Dec 2023.”
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Thurs, 20 Nov) called on Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál “do nothing” Martin to fast-track legislation to scrap Dublin Airport’s unlawful 32m traffic cap, before the end of 2025, as he promised in his January “Programme for Govt”. With a 20 seat majority, voters should not have to wait 12 months for Micheál Martin to keep his Programme promise to scrap this cap. Dublin Airport confirmed they have exceeded this cap with 2 months of the year to go. This shows the urgent need for the Govt to scrap this illegal traffic cap at Ireland’s gateway airport and provide the long-term certainty that all airlines need to invest and grow Irish traffic, tourism, and jobs in time for Summer 2026.
Dublin traffic has only grown this year because the High Court suspended this illegal traffic cap in a case taken by Irish airlines, while the Irish Govt dithered and did nothing. This is not a permanent solution. The future of Ireland’s air access and tourism industry cannot be left to linger while Micheál Martin wanders around COP or wastes even more time at Templemore graduation ceremonies or launching his Govt’s 2nd housing strategy in just 4 years.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:
“Ryanair calls on Micheál “do nothing” Martin to stop wasting time wandering around COP or Templemore, and instead pass urgent legislation to scrap Dublin Airport’s unlawful 32m traffic cap, before the end of 2025. With a 20 seat majority, voters should not have to wait 12 months for Ireland’s “do nothing” Taoiseach to use his 20 seat majority to scrap this cap, and allow Irish traffic, tourism, and jobs to grow in time for Summer 2026. Ireland needs action and leadership, not more dither and delay from Micheál “do nothing” Martin 11 months after his new, 20 seat majority Govt promised to scrap this cap. It’s time to act and stop these indefensible delays.”
REAFFIRMING RYANAIR’S ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY ON PASSENGER MISCONDUCT
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Thurs, 13 Nov) welcomed the decision by the Dublin District Court to convict an unruly passenger who disrupted flight FR7122 from Dublin to Tenerife on 24 September 2022 by physically assaulting another passenger onboard. This disruptive passenger pleaded guilty and received a 3-month suspended sentence.
Ryanair is committed to ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment free of unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers. Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take action to combat unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft for the benefit of the vast majority of passengers who do not disrupt flights.
Ryanair’s Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said:
“We welcome the Dublin District Court’s conviction of this unruly passenger whose inexcusable behaviour disrupted a flight from Dublin to Tenerife in September 2022. This demonstrates just one of the many consequences (including travel bans and offload fines) that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy. We hope this conviction will further deter disruptive behaviour on flights so that both passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment.”