“High access costs = No growth, no jobs, no tourism.”

That was the message on the banner held up at the end of yesterday’s press conference by Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness, following the announcement that the airline would close its base of three aircraft in Thessaloniki for the coming winter season. The slogan reflects the aggressive strategy and publicity tactics the largest European low-cost airline has long pursued — not only in Greece — whenever it decides to withdraw aircraft from a European destination it considers less profitable than others, while never hesitating to return when business conditions become favorable again.

Yesterday, McGuinness continued in the same tone, arguing that if the operating environment in Greece were more competitive, the company would be willing to increase winter capacity. He also accused Fraport Greece — which manages Thessaloniki Airport under the concession agreement for Greece’s 14 regional airports — of operating as a monopoly.

According to the airline’s official statements, Ryanair is cutting a total of 700,000 seats and 12 routes across four Greek airports for the winter season, representing a 45% reduction compared with winter 2025. Ten of those routes are from Thessaloniki, the city most heavily affected since the airline is shutting down its three-aircraft base there for the winter. Decisions regarding the 2027 summer season have not yet been made.

Ryanair’s move comes during the winter season, already a low-demand period for Greece, while winter 2026 is expected to be difficult and uncertain for airlines due to geopolitical instability in the Middle East, rising aviation fuel prices, and possible supply shortages that are expected to become more severe during winter.

Fraport Greece responded strongly yesterday, stating that “any claims regarding aviation charges and the Airport Development Fee established by the Greek State are completely unfounded and entirely pretextual.”

The company added that “the reasons leading Ryanair to reduce its winter operations at Thessaloniki ‘Makedonia’ Airport are exclusively linked to the airline’s commercial planning, business model, and profitability.” It also noted that any increases in airport charges are provided for under the concession agreement signed with the Greek state and correspond to 90% of inflation increases.

Fraport stated that it respects Ryanair’s business decisions, noting that the airline remains one of its important partners, alongside the 40 other airlines currently operating at Thessaloniki Airport, connecting the city and the wider Macedonia region with more than 33 countries and 93 destinations.

“As Fraport Greece, we have invested more than €100 million in expanding and upgrading the infrastructure and facilities of Thessaloniki Airport, which has already recorded a 40% increase in passenger traffic during the nine years under our management. We remain firmly committed to our goal of ensuring that Thessaloniki ‘Makedonia’ Airport continuously possesses the modern infrastructure and operational readiness required to efficiently serve the increasing passenger flows resulting from the ongoing development of Thessaloniki and the wider region as an international destination.”

What Ryanair said yesterday

McGuinness used harsh language, accusing Fraport Greece “of monopoly practices and of increasing charges in Greece by 66% since 2019.” He also claimed that the airport operator “is disconnected from reality and from the current conditions in European aviation. We are not asking for reduced charges only for Ryanair, but for all airlines.”

Indicative of the airline’s strategy — and what appeared to be a predetermined business decision regarding Thessaloniki — was his response when asked whether discussions or negotiations had taken place with Fraport. He replied negatively, stating that no negotiations had occurred and that the airline learned about the charges electronically, as is standard practice.

He also presented a chart showing what the airline could potentially offer Greek airports over five years if charges became more attractive, claiming Ryanair could deliver:

• a 70% increase in traffic, reaching 12 million passengers,
• 40% growth during the winter season alone,
• 50 additional routes,
• 500 new jobs within the airline’s network,
• and 10 extra aircraft based in Greece.

According to McGuinness, the Irish low-cost carrier is focusing on three main proposals for Greek airports:

• Breaking Fraport Greece’s “monopoly” and making the Greek aviation market more competitive.
• Freezing airport charges across all Greek airports.
• Passing reductions on to passengers: although the Greek government reduced the Airport Development Fee by 75% from November 2024, Ryanair claims several Greek airports did not pass the reduction on to passengers and instead maintained high fees.

Winter season cuts

Overall, Ryanair says it is cutting around 700,000 seats for winter 2026 across four Greek airports:

• 500,000 seats from Thessaloniki,
• 160,000 from Athens,
• and the remainder from Chania and Heraklion.

The airline says it is reducing capacity by 60% in Thessaloniki and 22% in Athens. The 12 canceled routes are:

• from Thessaloniki to Berlin, Chania, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Heraklion, Düsseldorf, Poznań, Stockholm, Venice, and Zagreb,
• one route from Athens to Milan,
• and one from Chania to Paphos.

It is worth noting that while Ryanair claims 160,000 seats are being removed from Athens Airport next winter, sources at Athens International Airport told newmoney.gr that this figure does not align with traffic levels for the single affected route, which are significantly lower.

McGuinness stated that “competition between airports, markets, and destinations is extremely intense right now, and airport charges must reflect that reality. Charges in Greece are no longer sustainable under the current aviation conditions, which is why we are turning to other airports that are more competitive.”

He added that Ryanair has hedged 80% of its fuel needs, but “in the current environment every cent counts,” which is why the airline prefers to focus on markets with more attractive charges, such as Sweden, Italy, Albania, Slovakia, and others.

“We want to grow in Greece and solve the issue of seasonality, but we cannot operate under these conditions.”