Ryanair cancels flights to European holiday hotspot

The flights are no longer running

Travellers will no longer be able to fly with Ryanair to the Azores due to the airline pulling out from the destination over costs.

Ryanair has axed all its flights to the Azores after it claimed high airport fees set by operator ANA, as well as an 120% increase in air traffic control charges from the Portuguese government since Covid.

Previously, Ryanair ran flights to the Azores from major European hubs such as London, Brussels, Lisbon, and Porto.

It marks a blow to travellers, with the Azores having become popular for its dramatic landscapes, which see it often compared to Hawaii.

"We are disappointed that the French airport monopoly ANA continues to raise Portuguese airport fees to line its pockets, at the expense of Portuguese tourism and jobs – particularly on the Portuguese islands," Ryanair’s CCO Jason McGuinness said.

"As a direct result of these rising costs, we have been left with no alternative other than to cancel all Azores flights from 29 March 2026 onwards and relocate this capacity to lower cost airports elsewhere in the extensive Ryanair Group network across Europe.

"This loss of low fare connectivity to the Azores is direct result of the French monopoly airport operator – VINCI – imposing excessive airport charges across Portugal (which have risen by up to 35 per cent since Covid) and the anti-competitive enviro taxes imposed by the EU, which exempt more polluting long haul flights to the US and Middle East, at the expense of EU remote regions such as the Azores.

"After 10 years of year-round Ryanair operations, one of Europe’s most remote regions will now lose direct low-fare flights to London, Brussels, Lisbon, and Porto due to ANA’s high airport fees and Portuguese Govt. inaction."