The Irish low-cost carrier "Ryanair" announced today a 13 percent drop in its capacity in France for the winter of 2025, which means 750,000 fewer seats, the cancellation of 25 routes and the cessation of service at three airports in the country, reported Agence France-Presse. The airline's actions are dictated by its disagreement with the country's government, which imposed a solidarity tax on airline tickets (La taxe de solidarité sur les billets d'avion – TSBA, also known as the "Chirac" tax, which is imposed on the price of airline tickets and has been in force since March 1 this year), reported BTA.
"Ryanair" announced "the cessation of its activities" at the "Bergerac" airports in the city of the same name (Dordogne department), Brive airport, (Corresce department) and that in Strasbourg, (Bas Rennes department), from where it served Portugal and Scotland, and the airline had already left Vatry airport (Marne department) in the spring.
"This decision is the result of the French government's inability to repeal the excessive increase in the air tax, which was increased by 180 percent in March 2025," the Irish airline explained in a statement.
The solidarity tax on airline tickets for domestic flights or to other airports in Europe has increased to 7.40 euros compared to 2.63 euros, AFP recalls.
"This astronomical tax reduces France's competitiveness compared to other EU countries such as Ireland, Spain or Poland, which do not impose a tax on air travel," Ryanair said in a statement. The company has threatened to reduce its operations in France after the tripling of the solidarity tax on airline tickets included in the country's 2025 budget.
The Irish company's CEO Michael O'Leary assured at the end of March that it would not cut services at regional airports, but the company issued warnings for the summer of 2026.
"Without urgent action, France risks losing even more capacity and investment to more competitive markets by the summer of 2026, leaving regional airports half-empty while other EU countries continue to attract investment from airlines that have become in deficit due to a shortage of aircraft," he stressed company.
However, if the government decides to completely abolish this tax, "Ryanair" could "envision ambitious growth in France in the coming years, including investments of 2.5 billion dollars (25 new aircraft) and a doubling of traffic to over 30 million passengers per year".
The Union of French Airports (L'Union des Aéroports Français - UAF) warned of the risk that low-cost airlines, which account for more than 99 percent of the activity at the regional airports of Beauvais, Carcassonne (Aude department) and Béziers (Hérault department), will withdraw from France due to the increase in the solidarity tax on airline tickets.