Greek Winter Flights Face a Ryanair Cutback
Ryanair will close its three-aircraft base in Thessaloniki for winter 2026 and cut capacity at Athens Airport, removing 700,000 seats and 12 routes across Greece. The airline said the changes amount to a 45% reduction versus winter 2025 and will affect off-peak connectivity at a time when year-round tourism is already harder to sustain.
The airline blamed high airport charges and said Fraport Greece and Athens Airport had not passed on a reduction in Greece’s Airport Development Fee. The government cut the fee from €12 to €3 per passenger in November 2024, but Ryanair claims many airports kept the benefit rather than lowering costs for passengers. It also said Fraport Greece charges are now 66% above pre-Covid levels.
“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. Unfortunately, there will now be less low-cost air fares for Thessaloniki’s citizens and visitors, and year-round tourism will be harmed as a result. "
Routes and Airports Affected
Ryanair said the winter 2026 cuts include:
- Three aircraft removed from Thessaloniki
- 700,000 seats cut across Greece
- 12 routes lost, including Thessaloniki-Berlin, Frankfurt-Hahn, Stockholm and Venice-Treviso
- Athens-Milan Malpensa removed
- Chania-Paphos removed
- Winter operations suspended at Chania and Heraklion
The cuts could make winter trips to northern Greece and Crete harder to plan, especially for people relying on low-cost flights outside the summer season. Thessaloniki may lose several links with Germany, Sweden, Italy, Poland and Croatia, while Chania and Heraklion will have no Ryanair winter operations. Some aircraft will instead move to Albania, regional Italy and Sweden.
The decision is a warning for anyone planning Greece outside peak holiday months: winter air links can change quickly when airport costs and airline schedules clash. Fewer routes may mean higher fares, longer journeys or extra connections, particularly for Thessaloniki and Crete. Greece is not disappearing from winter travel plans, but some trips may now take more searching, earlier booking or a less direct route.
