Ryanair plans to reduce flights to and from UK airports by 10% next year in response to Labour’s decision to increase the tax on airline tickets in the autumn Budget.
Chief Executive Michael O’Leary criticized the budget, stating it has “harmed” UK growth prospects and “significantly increased the cost of air travel.” He noted that Ryanair will “review” its schedules, with the reduction potentially resulting in up to five million fewer passengers at UK airports.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that air passenger duty (APD) will increase starting in the 2026/27 financial year, adding up to £2 on economy tickets for short-haul flights.
O’Leary emphasized the importance of making UK air travel more affordable, arguing that Labour’s decision has “damaged tourism and air travel to and from the UK.”
“Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s misguided decision to raise the UK’s already high air travel taxes will result in cuts, not growth,” he stated.
He added, “This short-sighted tax increase will make holidays abroad more costly for ordinary UK families and render the UK a less competitive destination than Ireland, Sweden, Hungary, and Italy, where governments are abolishing travel taxes to boost traffic, tourism, and job growth in their economies.”
