Overview
- Ryanair, which announced the changes over the weekend, will close its three-aircraft Thessaloniki base for winter 2026 and suspend off-season flying at Chania and Heraklion.
- The winter plan removes about 700,000 seats and cancels 12 routes, including Thessaloniki links to Berlin, Frankfurt-Hahn, Stockholm and Venice Treviso, plus Athens–Milan and Chania–Paphos.
- The airline blames high airport fees after a state Airport Development Fee fell from €12 to €3 in November 2024 but, it says, was not passed on by Fraport Greece or Athens Airport.
- Fraport Greece rejects that claim as unfounded and says the cuts reflect Ryanair’s commercial strategy, noting more than €100 million invested in upgrades at Thessaloniki.
- Ryanair says it will shift aircraft to lower-cost markets in Albania, regional Italy and Sweden, while also closing its Berlin base and halving winter flights there in a wider cost-driven shift.