Ryanair is about to make a big dent in Belgium's winter travel map. The Irish low-cost carrier plans to pull six aircraft, cut 1.1 million seats, and scrap 20 routes from its winter 2026 schedule at Brussels Airport in Zaventem and Brussels South Charleroi Airport. The airline blames a planned hike in Belgium's federal aviation tax.

At Zaventem, Dublin is expected to be the only remaining Ryanair route. That means popular city breaks and holiday spots like Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga, Marrakech, Porto, Rome Fiumicino, and Valencia are off the table from Brussels. From Charleroi, the cuts hit Amman, Asturias, Dubrovnik, Genoa, Katowice, Łódź, Newcastle, Nîmes, Poznań, Reggio Calabria, Sarajevo, Trapani, and Warsaw Modlin. Ryanair's Charleroi base will shrink to 13 aircraft, and around 200 jobs are affected, according to Belga.

The tax in question changes on 1 January 2027. Ryanair describes it as an increase from €2 in January 2025 to €7. But the current charge actually varies by distance. Flights over 500 kilometres are taxed at €5, rising to €7, while shorter flights already pay €10. The government had considered a €10 charge for longer journeys. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary didn't mince words. "Taxing air traffic does not deliver growth; it simply sends it elsewhere," he said in a statement. The airline points to Sweden, Slovakia, Hungary, and Italy as countries that have reduced or removed aviation taxes.

This isn't just a winter problem. Ryanair has warned it could remove another one million seats in summer 2027 if the tax stays. O'Leary also said fares across Europe could rise by as much as 20% over the next year as fuel hedging contracts expire. That forecast is separate from the Belgian dispute but adds to the pressure on travellers' wallets.

Ryanair has dangled a carrot too. The airline presented a seven-year Belgian growth plan that it says could add 100 routes and 1,000 jobs if the federal levy is abolished. Those are company projections, not confirmed commitments. For now, the cuts start with the winter schedule at the end of October, ahead of the tax change. Airlines typically finalise schedules months in advance, so the reductions are already baked in.

Aviation economist Wouter Dewulf told VRT that Ryanair routinely reduces its Charleroi fleet in winter because demand is weaker and aircraft undergo maintenance. Taxation may not be the only factor shaping capacity. Neither the Belgian federal government nor airport operators had responded to press at the time of writing.

If you're booked on a Ryanair flight from Belgium this winter, check the airline's published timetable to confirm whether your service is affected. The final schedule may still change as Ryanair adjusts frequencies and aircraft deployment. For those looking to rebook, keep an eye on 47 new budget routes just dropped for summer 2027 as airlines shuffle their networks.

Belgium itself remains worth exploring, even if Ryanair pulls back. A Belgian national park hides a 7-kilometer walk through living tree history, and a tiny Belgian village just got UNESCO's nod for its WWI memorials. Sometimes the best trips are closer than you think.