Ryanair will pull five aircraft from its Brussels South Charleroi base and cut about two million seats from its Brussels-area schedules for winter 2026 and summer 2027 after Belgium locked in a higher aviation tax for 2027.
In a July 22, 2026 corporate statement, the airline said the federal government will raise the departure tax to 7 euros from January 2027. CEO Eddie Wilson said Ryanair will relocate capacity to markets it calls more competitive.
- What changed: Ryanair confirms 5 Charleroi aircraft and about 2 million seat cuts.
- Seasons hit: Winter 2026 and summer 2027 schedules at Charleroi and Zaventem.
- Tax move: Belgium sets a 7 euro aviation tax from 1 January 2027.
- Who is affected: Travelers using Ryanair through Charleroi or Brussels Airport.
- Action now: Re-check winter and spring 2027 tickets and nearby-airport alternatives.
If you were building a cheap European hop through Belgium next winter or next summer, this is no longer a vague tax debate. It is a published capacity decision from Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, with two named Brussels airports on the cut list.
What Ryanair said on July 22
Ryanair said the federal government decided to raise Belgium’s aviation tax to 7 euros from January 2027. The airline framed that step as a 250 percent increase since 2025 and said competitor countries such as Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, regional Italy, and Albania are abolishing aviation taxes to grow traffic.
Wilson said Ryanair had warned Prime Minister Bart De Wever that a tax increase would reduce traffic. In the carrier’s words, the government failed to listen, so five aircraft leave Charleroi and about two million seats leave the combined Charleroi and Zaventem schedules for winter 2026 and summer 2027.
Aviation24.be reported the same totals on July 22, noting the reduction covers both Brussels South Charleroi Airport and Brussels Airport at Zaventem. The Belgian specialist outlet also noted that a move from the current 5 euro rate to 7 euros is a 40 percent step, even while Ryanair continues to measure the climb from earlier 2025 levels.
How Belgium’s tax path reached 7 euros
Belgium did not invent this levy overnight. Travel Tomorrow reported on July 20 that the federal government stepped back from a planned doubling to 10 euros and settled on 7 euros from 1 January 2027 for many longer departures, after weeks of airline and airport pressure.
That same report explains the boarding tax, often called TILEA, was introduced in 2022 and was harmonized at 5 euros after earlier distance bands of 2 and 4 euros. The tax is charged when a passenger departs from a Belgian airport, so a cancelled departure does not collect it.
The Brussels Times, citing Belga, said the government chose 7 euros rather than 10 euros on Saturday, and Walloon authorities welcomed the lower-than-feared increase because of Charleroi’s exposure. Ryanair’s July 22 answer makes clear the compromise did not end the capacity fight.
Travel Tomorrow also notes short flights under 500 kilometers remain on a higher track, with a 10 euro rate path that can rise further later in the decade. That band is a separate traveler decision from the 5-to-7 euro change Ryanair is citing for the bulk of its medium-haul network.
Why Charleroi capacity matters to ordinary travelers
Charleroi is one of Ryanair’s densest continental bases. When five aircraft leave a base, the practical effect is fewer daily departures, thinner weekend banks, and fewer last-seat bargains on popular leisure routes.
Two million seats is not a single route cut. It is a network-scale reduction spread across winter 2026 and summer 2027 at Charleroi and Zaventem.
That matters for city-breakers, migrant workers flying home, and families who treat Belgium as a low-fare gateway rather than a long-haul hub.
If you already hold a ticket for those seasons, open the booking and confirm the flight number still exists. If you are still shopping, compare Charleroi and Zaventem against nearby airports in France, the Netherlands, and western Germany, because the land alternatives are part of why Belgian airports worry about tax competitiveness.
Ryanair’s July 22 statement does not publish a full route-by-route kill list. Earlier warnings had floated roughly 20 routes across the two airports, but today’s hard numbers are aircraft and seats.
Treat route-level social posts as provisional until they appear in the airline’s schedule tools.
What the tax means on a low fare
On a 900 euro business ticket, two extra euros of tax is noise. On a 29 euro Ryanair leisure fare, the same euro amount is a larger share of the total and stacks with airport charges, bag fees, and seat selection.
That is why low-cost carriers fight passenger taxes harder than legacy networks. The levy hits the product they sell most often: short and medium hops sold on headline fares.
Travel Tomorrow quotes aviation economist Wouter Dewulf saying Ryanair is unlikely to abandon Charleroi entirely because the base remains highly profitable, even while it uses public pressure to keep costs down. A profitable base can still lose five aircraft without a full exit.
How to plan if Belgium is on your route
Start with the booking tool, not the press release. Search your exact dates for winter 2026 and summer 2027 and note whether frequencies shrank week over week.
Screenshot the confirmation and the current schedule page if a flight disappears after purchase.
If you need a fixed arrival into Brussels city, compare Zaventem rail connections against Charleroi bus or train transfers before you chase the cheapest fare. A lower ticket can evaporate once ground transfer time and bag rules enter the math.
Deep Arrival’s Ryanair planning guide is still the right place to check fare families, change rules, and how the airline packages seats. Pair that with the Ryanair baggage fee page before you assume a tiny fare includes a full cabin bag.
Also watch non-Ryanair alternatives from Brussels and nearby airports. A tax-driven capacity cut at one low-cost base often shifts demand onto other carriers, which can firm fares even when you never intended to fly Ryanair.
What remains unresolved
Ryanair has not published a final public table of every winter 2026 and summer 2027 frequency change in today’s statement. The Belgian government response to the July 22 cut was not yet in the independent reports reviewed for this article.
It is also unclear how many of the two million seats fall in winter versus summer, and how much of the reduction hits pure leisure routes versus thicker business-day banks. Until those details appear in schedule data or a later airline notice, plan from the confirmed aircraft and seat totals, not from rumor maps.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Hold a Ryanair ticket via Charleroi or Zaventem for winter 2026 or summer 2027 | Open the booking and confirm the flight still appears; save proof if it is cancelled or re-timed. |
| Are shopping cheap Belgium gateways for those seasons | Compare Charleroi, Zaventem, and nearby French, Dutch, or German airports before locking hotels. |
| Need guaranteed city-center arrival timing | Prefer confirmed schedules and known ground links over the absolute lowest headline fare. |
| Fly only short hops under 500 kilometers from Belgium | Budget the separate higher short-haul tax band, which is not the 5-to-7 euro medium-haul step. |
| Already paid bags or seats on a now-unstable flight | Document add-on receipts and use Ryanair customer channels with timestamps if the flight is cut. |
- Now: Re-check winter 2026 and summer 2027 Ryanair itineraries through Charleroi and Zaventem.
- Booking window: Treat schedule tools as living documents until winter inventory stabilizes.
- Airport choice: Price nearby cross-border airports when Belgium fares jump or frequencies thin.
- Tax date: Expect the 7 euro boarding tax on qualifying departures from 1 January 2027.
- Bags and seats: Reconfirm cabin bag rules and paid extras if you rebook onto another carrier.
- Route list: Any later Ryanair table that names specific Charleroi or Zaventem cuts.
- Government reply: Federal or Walloon response that could change the political path of the tax.
- Schedule data: Frequency drops that show where the two million seats actually land.
- Nearby airports: Fare and capacity shifts at French, Dutch, and German alternatives.
Belgium wanted more tax revenue without a full 10 euro shock. Ryanair answered with fewer aircraft and fewer seats.
Until schedules show which flights disappear, verify every Belgium-connected booking for the affected seasons and keep a backup airport plan ready.
When does Belgium’s 7 euro aviation tax start?
Ryanair and independent Belgian reporting both point to 1 January 2027 for the new 7 euro rate on the departures covered by that change.
Which airports lose Ryanair capacity under the July 22 cut?
Ryanair names its Charleroi base for the five aircraft and says about two million seats leave schedules at Charleroi and Brussels Airport in Zaventem for winter 2026 and summer 2027.
Did Belgium still raise the tax after lowering the plan from 10 euros?
Yes. Reporting from Travel Tomorrow and The Brussels Times says the government chose 7 euros instead of 10 euros, moving up from the current 5 euro rate rather than cancelling the increase.
Should I cancel a ticket already booked on Ryanair through Belgium?
Not automatically. Confirm whether your exact flight still appears in the booking, then decide based on rebooking cost, transfer plans, and whether a nearby airport is a cleaner option.
Is every short Belgian flight moving to 7 euros?
No. Travel Tomorrow reports short flights under 500 kilometers remain on a higher short-haul band separate from the 5-to-7 euro medium-haul change Ryanair is protesting.
