Ryanair Unveils Brussels Winter Schedule Of This Year But Warns Of Zero Growth As The New Rising Aviation Taxes Impact Its Low-cost Travel Expansion

Published on August 27, 2025

Europe’s number 1 low-cost airline, Ryanair, has released its Winter 2025 schedule, pinch 119 routes from crossed its European network. Among nan description are 3 caller routes from Charleroi Airport successful Belgium to Katowice successful Poland, Salerno successful Italy, and Volos successful Greece. Further, Ryanair besides confirmed 11 routes operating to and from Brussels Zaventem Airport.

But to make abstraction for these caller services, Ryanair announced a 6% diminution successful Zaventem postulation this winter. The action is nan latest objection of nan carrier’s expanding exasperation astatine Belgium’s expanding aviation taxes and airdrome interest hikes, which it thinks are eroding nan country’s tourism and aerial recreation competitiveness versus nan remainder of nan EU.

Belgium’s Aviation Sector Faces Stagnation

While Ryanair continues to grow crossed Europe, its maturation successful Belgium is astatine a standstill. The hose attributed this to higher rider taxes introduced by nan Belgian authorities and expanding airdrome charges astatine Brussels Zaventem. The aviation tax, which has risen by 150% to €5 per passenger, is simply a peculiar constituent of contention.

According to Ryanair, these measures are discouraging tourism and economical maturation astatine a clip erstwhile neighboring EU states are becoming much competitory by maintaining little fees and charges. The hose stressed that without reforms, Belgium risks losing much travelers to different hubs crossed Europe.

Ryanair Calls Out nan European Commission Over ATC Failures

Beyond taxes, Ryanair has erstwhile again criticized nan European Commission’s deficiency of action successful tackling long-standing inefficiencies successful Europe’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) systems. In July alone, nan hose reported that complete 600 flights were canceled, affecting much than 100,000 passengers, chiefly owed to 2 days of French ATC strikes connected July 3 and 4.

Ryanair based on that nan Commission grounded to safeguard overflights during nationalist ATC strikes, an rumor that continues to disrupt Europe’s azygous aviation market. Other EU nations, specified arsenic Spain, Italy, and Greece, person already adopted measures to protect overflights during strikes, but nary specified safeguards are successful spot crossed nan full Union. The hose insists that nan European Commission should enforce reforms ensuring afloat staffing of ATC services during highest greeting departures and require compensation for passengers erstwhile disruptions hap owed to underperformance.

The Draghi Report: One Year Without Action

Ryanair further criticized nan Commission’s inaction connected nan September 2024 Draghi Report, which outlined structural weaknesses successful Europe’s aviation sector, including inefficiencies costing complete €6 cardinal annually. The study emphasized nan urgent request for reforms to boost competitiveness, trim unnecessary costs, and modernize nan aviation system. Yet, a twelvemonth later, Ryanair says location has been “lots of speeches, tons of platitudes, but nary existent reform.” By failing to reside these recommendations, nan hose argues that European aviation continues to autumn down world competitors, burdening passengers and airlines pinch precocious costs and predominant disruptions.

Environmental Taxes and nan ETS vs. Corsia Debate

Another pressing rumor raised by Ryanair is nan imbalance successful biology taxation connected aerial travel. Currently, European passengers and airlines enarthrosis nan afloat load of EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) costs, while non-European carriers are exempt.

Ryanair has called connected nan Commission to align ETS pinch nan Corsia framework, a world c offsetting scheme. Such a betterment would guarantee that each passengers—European and non-European alike—pay nan aforesaid biology charges, creating a level playing field.

The hose described nan existent strategy arsenic unfair to European citizens, who look higher costs, while world carriers use from exemptions.

Zero Growth successful Belgium but Wider European Expansion

Despite these challenges, Ryanair remains committed to increasing its wider European footprint. The caller Winter 2025 routes from Belgium to Katowice, Salerno, and Volos show nan airline’s strategy to fortify connections crossed cardinal leisure and business destinations.

However, nan zero maturation forecast successful Belgium highlights nan broader rumor of really aviation argumentation and taxation tin straight impact nationalist competitiveness successful tourism and aerial transport. Ryanair warned that unless Belgium revises its approach, different European hubs whitethorn proceed to pull much airlines and passengers, leaving nan state behind.

The Urgent Need for Aviation Reform successful Europe

Ryanair pinch their Winter 2025 schedule highlights some nan resilience of nan hose and nan broader challenges to European aerial transport. While Belgium’s caller routes for maturation reenforce connectivity betwixt Poland, Italy, and Greece, nan deficiency of maturation successful Belgium indicates nan deleterious effect of expanding taxes and airdrome levies connected tourism competitiveness. Meanwhile, outstanding inefficiencies successful Europe’s ATC strategy and nan skewed imposition of biology taxes stay to substance uncertainty among some airlines and passengers.