Ryanair has announced a significant 11% reduction in its French winter 2025/26 capacity, citing increased aviation taxes and persistent air traffic control (ATC) disruptions in France. Despite the pullback in one of its key European markets, the low-cost carrier will still add 31,000 flights and six million seats across its network this winter compared to the previous season.

John Grant, Chief Analyst at OAG, comments, “The redistribution highlights Ryanair’s vast network flexibility, with growth focused on more commercially viable markets. Italy and Ireland are the biggest beneficiaries of this shift. Italy gains an additional 1.5 million seats, marking a 10% increase, while Ireland sees a 15% boost – translating to nearly 600,000 extra seats at Dublin Airport alone.”

Massive Network Flexibility

With 93 bases across Europe, Ryanair can easily move one or two aircraft from base to base over the winter season if the price is right at the receiving base! While some other carriers can match this network flexibility, Ryanair are the masters in such movement and it certainly provides them with a strong negotiating point in their dealings with airports and stakeholders. And, as always, where there are losers there are winners, so let’s look at who they are…

Country-Level Winners

Grant says that at country level there is only one country – among Ryanair’s markets – that sees a year-on-year decline, and that’s France.  Every other major market is benefitting from the redistribution of capacity,  with average capacity growth of over 8% as new aircraft join the airline’s fleet:

• Italy is the clear winner with an additional 1.5 million seats and 10% growth as Ryanair cements its dominance in both the domestic and intra-European market.
• Ireland, with 15% growth, is clearly now back in favour with Ryanair. With nearly 600,000 additional seats at Dublin alone, the airline seems to have found a way around some of the local capacity restrictions.
• Spain and the UK are below the average amongst the airline’s top markets, consistent growth in already very mature markets reflects the confidence of the airline in its business model.

Airport-Level Winners

Not surprisingly the major airport winners in the Ryanair winter stakes are in those major country markets. Brussels Charleroi, London Stansted, Alicante, Krakow and Malta all gain over 200,000 additional seats for the 20 week season – so travellers can expect some aggressive pricing to and from those destinations I suspect.