Ryanair is now canceling popular flights from Vienna
Ryanair announced that it will cancel three of its popular flights from Vienna this winter. The decision, revealed on Wednesday, came after the company stated that high taxes and increasing airport fees in Austria are making operations increasingly unprofitable.
Flights to Billund, Santander, and Tallinn will be suspended, and three stationed aircraft will be withdrawn from Vienna. This step follows a similar decision by Wizz Air, which has also reduced its operations from the Austrian capital recently.
According to Ryanair, Austria's competitiveness as a travel hub has significantly declined due to the €12 air tax and a 30% increase in Vienna airport fees since the COVID-19 pandemic. The company noted that several EU countries, such as Sweden, Hungary, and Italy, have abolished air taxes and reduced airport fees to encourage travel and tourism.
Despite increasing its investments in Austria by 160 percent since the pandemic, Ryanair said the sector is still operating at levels below those seen before the crisis. The company added that rising costs are harming Austrian tourism, the economy in general, and job opportunities in this sector.
The CEO of the company, Michael O'Leary, criticized Austria's policy, describing the high access fees at Vienna Airport as "absurd." He warned that unless the government takes action to abolish the aviation tax and reduce costs, Austrian passengers will face rising ticket prices, and Ryanair will have to further scale back its operations.