Ryanair, record winter with 80 million seats

Ryanair is preparing its largest winter schedule ever, with 80 million seats in the Winter 2026/27 season, around 1,700 routes in 35 countries and more than 140 new connections. The entire program is already available for booking and aims to strengthen city breaks, winter destinations, Christmas markets, ski resorts and leisure destinations during the months of less seasonality.

Within this European expansion, Italy emerges as one of the markets on which Ryanair continues to concentrate capacity, especially at regional airports. The company has repeatedly named the country among the most competitive European markets for growth, particularly in regions that have reduced access costs or eliminated the municipal surcharge at some airports.

A concrete signal comes from the reallocation of capacity planned for next winter. After announcing the closure of the Thessaloniki base and an overall reduction of around 700,000 seats in Greece, Ryanair has announced that part of the aircraft will be transferred to markets considered more competitive, specifically mentioning Albania, regional Italy and Sweden.

Six new connections between Warsaw and Italy

Among the novelties of the destinations already confirmed for winter 2026 stands out the expansion from Warsaw (Chopin Airport), where Ryanair will introduce seven new routes: six will directly connect the Polish capital with Italian airports.

The new flights will involve Bari, Bologna, Catania, Naples, Turin and Venice, as well as the new Warsaw-Liverpool route. 

Ryanair's network from Chopin will thus rise to 16 destinations and the carrier expects traffic growth of more than 50% at the Polish airport.

For Italy, these are also interesting connections on the incoming tourism front during the low season, because they make six important Italian destinations more accessible from one of the main markets in Central Europe.

Italian regional airports gain weight

Ryanair's strategy also continues to reward Italian airports where operating costs are more competitive. Abruzzo, Calabria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sicily and Emilia-Romagna have been repeatedly indicated by the company as examples of territories in which the reduction of the municipal surcharge has favored new investments and greater capacity.

The case of Pescara is particularly significant: after the elimination of the surcharge, Ryanair has increased the number of aircraft based all year round to two and indicated traffic growth to over 1.3 million passengers per year, about 80% more than in 2024.

At the same time, the company continues to ask for the elimination of the surcharge in Italian airports where it is still applied, arguing that a generalized reduction in costs could generate further investments and new routes.

Ryanair also grows in Poland, Slovakia, Albania and Morocco

Italy is part of a broader strategy of shifting capacity to European markets considered more growth-friendly. In Poland, in addition to the expansion on Warsaw Chopin, Ryanair also continues to strengthen Warsaw Modlin. Overall, the two airports in the Polish capital will reach about 46 routes, while eight aircraft will be based in Modlin.

Growth in Slovakia was also particularly marked. In Bratislava, the carrier plans 23 routes for the winter, four of which are new, and a fourth based aircraft. Ryanair estimates a 125% growth in traffic, up to over 2.2 million passengers per year. Turin is also among the new destinations.

Expansion also continues in Albania, where Tirana has become one of the fastest growing markets on the network. The base has three aircraft and the program includes 33 routes, with numerous connections to Italy, including Milan, Naples, Pescara, Trieste, Turin and Verona.

Morocco is also very relevant, where Ryanair will offer 5.3 million seats during the winter, 12% more than the previous season, with 156 routes and 17 new connections. The airline will have 16 aircraft based in the country, further strengthening Morocco as a winter leisure destination for the European market.

Less capacity in Germany and Greece

However, the expansion does not affect all markets. In parallel with growth in Italy and other European countries, Ryanair is in fact reducing its offer at airports where it considers higher taxes and operating costs.

In Berlin, the airline plans to close its base of seven aircraft from October 24, 2026 and significantly reduce its winter schedule. Ryanair estimates that traffic at the airport could drop from around 4.5 million to 2.2 million passengers in 2027, with part of the capacity transferred to other European markets.

In Greece, in addition to the closure of the Thessaloniki base, the carrier plans to eliminate 12 routes and about 700,000 seats, with a capacity contraction in the order of 45%.