Ryanair Flights to Thessaloniki Base Close for Winter 2026

Ryanair said its ryanair flights operation in Thessaloniki will shrink after it decided to close its three-aircraft base for Winter 2026. The airline tied the move to Fraport Greece raising airport charges by 66% after the pandemic, saying the cost increase changed the economics of the Greek base.

The company said Greece had cut the Airport Development Fee by 75% to support year-round connectivity and tourism, but Fraport Greece did not pass that reduction on to airlines or passengers. Ryanair said it wants to grow in Greece, but only if airport charges are frozen and the fee cut reaches travelers.

Thessaloniki base decision

Ryanair said the Thessaloniki base has three aircraft and will close in Winter 2026. The airline framed the dispute as a question of airport charges and the way Fraport Greece applied them after the pandemic, not as a change in demand at the city itself.

The closure leaves Ryanair with a narrower base of operations in Greece at a time when the company said it wants to expand. Ryanair called on the Greek government to break up the Fraport Greece monopoly, turning the issue into a wider dispute over how airport pricing is set and who benefits from the 75% reduction in the Airport Development Fee.

Prague routes and fare sale

Ryanair also pointed to its summer network from Prague, where it celebrated the first flight to Paphos on 1 August. It said it would launch a twice weekly service to Kosice on Monday 3 August, and described both routes as part of its extended Summer 2020 schedule.

The airline added a seat sale with fares from 729 Kc to Kosice and from 759 Kc to Paphos. It said the sale covered travel until the end of October and had to be booked by Wednesday 5 August only on Ryanair.com.

For travelers in Thessaloniki, the immediate change is the loss of a base that Ryanair said had three aircraft. For passengers using the Prague routes, the airline is still selling seats on the new services, but only within the booking window it set and only through its website.