“This astronomical tax makes France less competitive compared to other EU countries such as Ireland, Spain or Poland,” warns the airline.
Ryanair increases the tone against French taxation. This Wednesday, the airline announced that it was going to reduce the wing in France this winter. A decision taken as a protest against the strengthening of the solidarity tax on plane tickets.
In detail, the company plans to reduce its capacity in the country by 13%, which means the abolition of 750,000 seats, “The cancellation of 25 lines and the cessation of its operations at the Airports of Bergerac, Brive and Strasbourg”. The capacity will be reduced by 9% in Marseille, 8% in Paris-Beauvais and 4% in Toulouse, specifies the company. And add that “This loss of connectivity, entirely avoidable, will be disastrous for French regional connectivity, employment and tourism”.
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This decision clearly aims to put pressure on the French government, while Ryanair is at a long time against “The excessive increase in the air tax, which was increased by 180 % in March 2025”. Last February, the company already brandished the threat of a decrease in its activity because of the increase in the solidarity tax on plane tickets, at the time included in the draft budget discussed in Parliament. “France is already a country with high taxation and, therefore, if it still increases already high taxes, we will probably reduce our capacity”had warned his leader, Michael O’Leary. A few weeks later, his group had deleted two lines, in the Marne, connecting Vatry to Porto and Marrakech. And denounced, in passing, politics “Short view” of the executive.
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“France is against the tide”
Four months later, the grievances formulated by Ryanair remain the same. “This astronomical tax makes France less competitive compared to other EU countries such as Ireland, Spain or Poland, which impose no air tax, or Sweden, Hungary and certain regions of Italy, where taxes are deleted to stimulate traffic, tourism, employment and economic recovery”argues the company, in a press release. A deletion of the tax, on the contrary, would lead to “An investment of $ 2.5 billion (25 new planes), a doubling of traffic at more than 30 million passengers per year, and the creation of 750 additional jobs at Ryanair in the French regions”.
This announcement comes as the executive is looking for savings and new recipes to complete a 2026 budget which promises to be adopted to say the least. For its part, the air sector maintains the pressure on the executive. “We ask for a moratorium on TSBA and tax stability in the air transport sector”thus demanded the president of the National Federation of Aviation and his professions, Pascal de Izaguirre, in early July. “We call on the government to return to more balanced taxation, in order to avoid other line closures”reacted a spokesperson for FNAM on Wednesday, who federates airlines.
In Europe, France “Is against the tide”noted the boss of Ryanair at the start of the year. An analysis that has been verified since, while Berlin now wishes to cancel “The increase in air transport tax”. A decision that could be made in the context of exchanges on the next budget, according to the government coordinator in charge of tourism, Christoph Ploss.
