Ryanair Slashes Belgium Operations Despite Tax Concession

Ryanair has announced a major reduction of its operations in Belgium, pulling five aircraft from its Charleroi base and cutting two million seats from its schedules at both Charleroi and Brussels-Zaventem airports for winter 2026 and summer 2027. The decision comes despite the Belgian government’s partial backtrack on a planned aviation tax increase, which Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson dismissed as “too little, too late.”

The Tax Dispute

The Belgian federal government, led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s “Arizona” coalition, decided on July 18 to raise the embarkation tax from €5 to €7 per ticket, effective January 1, 2027, rather than the originally planned €10. According to La Libre Belgique, the Walloon authorities expressed relief at the cap, as 85% of Charleroi Airport’s flights are operated by Ryanair.

Wilson criticized the decision sharply. “It is absurd that the federal government decided to increase Belgium’s aviation tax by 250% from January 2027,” he said, noting that competing EU countries like Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, and Albania are abolishing aviation taxes to stimulate traffic, tourism, and employment. He added that Ryanair had warned De Wever directly that increasing the tax would lead to traffic reductions, but “he didn’t listen.”

Expert Caution

However, aviation economist Wouter Dewulf of the University of Antwerp offered a more nuanced view. He noted that Ryanair has historically based between 11 and 18 aircraft at Charleroi and traditionally reduces its fleet in winter due to lower demand. Dewulf suggested the tax increase may be a convenient pretext for cuts driven by rising fuel costs and a 34% profit decline.

“In winter, Ryanair traditionally withdraws part of its fleet, simply because demand is lower or because some aircraft need maintenance,” Dewulf told VRT NWS. “Charleroi remains one of the company’s most profitable bases.” He added that he expects a few marginal routes to disappear, not because of the aviation tax, but because rising oil prices make them less profitable.

Financial Pressures

Ryanair’s net profit fell 34% in Q1 2026 to €538 million, impacted by higher fuel prices and the Middle East conflict, as Capital.fr reported. The airline had already warned in June that it would reduce traffic by 22% and seasonalize 20 routes due to the planned tax increase.

Separate Incident: Passenger Trauma

In a separate but equally troubling development for the airline, a passenger who was partially sucked out of a Ryanair aircraft window during a flight from Thessaloniki to Germany has spoken publicly about his ordeal for the first time. Ljubisa Karović, 61, a Serbian businessman, was sitting in seat 11F when the window broke mid-flight, leaving his head, shoulders, and right arm outside the aircraft at 15,000 feet while the plane traveled at over 600 km/h.

“The explosion I remember most. That sound I hear over and over when I close my eyes,” Karović told HLN in an interview published Wednesday. He hung partially outside the aircraft for an estimated 1.5 to 2 minutes before fellow passengers intervened, using a suitcase to seal the broken window.

Karović suffered neck and head injuries, requires a neck brace for at least six weeks, and may need surgery. He said he deserves compensation: “Not just emails about rebooking my flight.”

A dispute has emerged over the crew’s response. Ryanair claims cabin crew did “fantastic work,” while the victim’s lawyer, Vasilis Tsiaras, maintains that passengers were the real first responders. European and American aviation authorities are investigating the cause of the window failure.

Broader Implications

The twin stories paint a challenging picture for Ryanair’s operations in Belgium. The airline faces genuine financial headwinds from rising fuel costs and a softening profit outlook, while simultaneously managing reputational damage from a terrifying in-flight incident. For the Belgian government, the standoff highlights the tension between environmental taxation goals and the economic dependence of regional airports like Charleroi on a single low-cost carrier.

Whether Ryanair follows through on all threatened cuts or restores some capacity through negotiation remains to be seen. What is clear is that the relationship between the Irish carrier and Belgium has entered a turbulent phase.