Ryanair Reduces Riga Airport Routes by 20% for Winter Season Amid Rising Costs

Ryanair Scales Back Riga Operations

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, announced on Thursday, October 9, 2025, a significant reduction in its presence at Riga Airport (RIX) for the upcoming winter season. The airline confirmed a 20% cut in its capacity, leading to the cancellation of seven international routes and affecting approximately 160,000 seats. This decision stems from what Ryanair describes as 'rising access costs' at the Latvian capital's airport.

Increased Costs Cited as Primary Reason

According to Jason McGuinness, Ryanair's Chief Commercial Officer, the airline is 'disappointed' to be forced into these reductions. He stated that access costs at Riga Airport, including airport fees and aviation taxes, have increased by 15% since Ryanair established its base there in November 2021. Ryanair argues that these elevated costs render Riga less competitive compared to other European airports that are actively lowering fees and abolishing aviation taxes to stimulate growth.

Ryanair highlighted that countries such as Albania, Poland, Sweden, and Italy are implementing more favorable policies for airlines, encouraging expansion. In contrast, Riga's rising operational fees are perceived as stifling the airline's growth plans in Latvia.

Canceled Routes and Impact on Connectivity

The seven international routes being canceled for the winter season are:

• Aarhus, Denmark
• Berlin, Germany
• Edinburgh, Scotland
• Gdansk, Poland
• Gothenburg, Sweden
• Memmingen, Germany
• Paris Beauvais, France

The cessation of these routes will impact budget travelers and those who rely on affordable flights for leisure and business. For instance, the Riga-Edinburgh connection is scheduled to cease by November 2, 2025, while flights to Memmingen will conclude on October 23, 2025, and to Cologne on October 29, 2025.

This reduction contributes to Latvia's air traffic recovery remaining approximately 10% below pre-Covid levels, according to Ryanair.

Airport's Stance and Broader Context

While Ryanair attributes the cuts to increased costs, Riga Airport's publicly available decision on airport charges indicates that these costs, adopted in 2023 and coordinated with Ryanair, were set for gradual introduction until January 1, 2024, and are expected to remain at the current level until 2027.

This move at Riga is part of a broader strategy by Ryanair to scale back operations in markets with high operating costs. The airline has also announced similar reductions in other European locations, including a cut of approximately 1 million seats for the winter season in Spain due to disputes over rising airport fees, and scaled-back operations in Austria due to high local taxes. Ryanair also reduced capacity at Tallinn Airport by 40%, citing a claimed 70% increase in taxes.

Ryanair has presented an ambitious growth plan to the Latvian government, proposing to double Riga's traffic by an additional 1.7 million passengers (reaching 3.4 million), base two additional aircraft, and launch 14 new routes over the next five years. However, the airline states this growth is contingent upon Riga Airport and the Latvian government reducing airport charges and abolishing the aviation tax.