Ryanair is slashing its Greek winter operations, closing Thessaloniki base, cutting 700,000 seats and axing 12 routes due to high airport costs. Thus, three aircraft are pulled, 500,000 seats gone, and routes to Berlin, Chania, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Zagreb scrapped.
Athens loses Milan link, as Chania and Heraklion see winter flights suspensions. Ireland’s low-cost carrier says Greece loses ground to cheaper markets like Albania, Italy and Sweden during low season, hurting year-round tourism extension.
Ryanair claims that the Greek Govt. made a decision to reduce the Airport Development Fee (ADF) by 75% (from €12 to €3 per passenger) from November’24, which should have directly stimulated year-round connectivity and tourism across Greece.
However, most Greek airports, particularly those run by Fraport Greece, ”refused to pass the tax cut onto passengers and instead have pocketed the tax cut for themselves”.
Fraport fires back: Thessaloniki cuts purely profit-driven
Fraport Greece dismisses Ryanair’s claims of high fees driving winter cuts at Thessaloniki’s “Makedonia” airport as “completely baseless and pretextual.” The operator says the Irish carrier’s decision links solely to its commercial planning and profitability.
Fraport highlights over €100 million invested in expansions since taking over nine years ago, driving 40% passenger growth. It respects Ryanair’s business choices but rejects airport charges or the Airport Development Fee as factors.
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