Air tax: Ryanair removes three regional services in France for winter – 07/30/2025 at 18:27

In response to the increase in the solidarity tax on plane tickets, the Irish company Ryanair reduces the sail in France, deserting three regional airports for the winter, and threatens to continue to redirect its flows to more “competitive” destinations such as Sweden, Hungary or Italy.

The first European low-cost company announced on Wednesday “the judgment of its activities” in Strasbourg (East), Bergerac and Brive (South West), from where it served in particular London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Charleroi (Belgium), Porto (Portugal) or Agadir (Morocco).

For the winter of 2025, Ryanair provides for a 13% reduction in its capacity in France, or 750,000 less seats, the cancellation of 25 lines and the interruption of the service of these three airports.

“This decision follows the French government’s failure to cancel the excessive increase in the air tax, which was increased by 180% in March 2025,” the Irish company said in a statement.

The solidarity tax on plane tickets (TSBA) increased to 7.4 euros against 2.63 euros before for domestic flights or to Europe.

“This astronomical tax makes France less competitive compared to other EU countries such as Ireland, Spain or Poland, which do not impose any air tax,” continued Ryanair.

– Bad news for British retirees –

At Bergerac airport in Dordogne, where many British retirees live, some passengers interviewed by AFP do not say they are opposed to this tax.

“It doesn’t dispense with paying a supplement. I have no problem if it is for ecological reasons,” Melary Sullivan told AFP a 71 -year -old retiree.

“For the family, we often take Ryanair, it is very practical and the prices are reasonable so I hope they can continue. And we pay a little more taxes if necessary,” said Robert, a 63 -year -old English holidayman.

But for Derrick, a 76 -year -old retired, “it’s not good news”. Many elderly people “could stop traveling” because coming by car is complicated for them.

The socialist president of the Dordogne Departmental Council, Germinal Peiro, makes this decision “seriously since Ryanair provides two -thirds of the flights on the Bergerac platform” which saw transit in 2024 240,000 passengers.

In Strasbourg, the chairman of the airport board, Gilles Tellier puts Ryanair’s announcement, who only concerns two destinations (Agadir and Porto) served twice a week by the company, out of the 36 destinations reachable from the Alsatian capital.

“I hope other companies will look at the possibility of taking over these two destinations,” he told AFP.

– excessive taxes and costs –

The boss of the company Michael O’Leary had however assured at the end of March that he would not delete regional service.

“It is unacceptable that a major European country like France accuses such a delay compared to the rest of the EU, with traffic always lower than pre-Cavid levels, due to excessive taxes and safety costs imposed by the government,” said Jason McGuinness, Ryanair commercial director quoted in the press release.

The Union of French Airports (UAF) deplored this “unfortunately predictable” decision which leads to “immediate loss of income” for airports and “reinforced isolation, a decrease in attractiveness and a significant decrease in tourism attendance” for the territories concerned.

For its part, the national federation of aviation and its trades (FNAM) called on the government to “return to a more balanced tax, in order to avoid other closures of lines which would insulate France and its regions even more”.

Questioned by AFP, the Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot considered that France had “reached a ceiling” with this tax applied since March 2025 in an airline “essential to the connectivity of the country”.

Ryanair was also threatening for the summer of 2026, calling again to suppress this air tax which he deems “harmful”.

“Unless the French government is changing the course, Ryanair’s investments in France will inevitably be redirected to more competitive European markets, Hungary or certain regions of Italy, where governments actively abolish air taxes,” said Jason McGuinness.

The Union of French Airports (UAF) had warned of the risk of seeing low -cost airlines, which weigh more than 99% of Beauvais activity (north of Paris), Carcassonne, Béziers and Nîmes (South) turn away from France due to the increase in this tax.