Flying this winter? Ryanair says it will put fewer aircraft in the air
The airline has 80% of this year's fuel bought forward at $67 a barrel and pays market price for the rest — and it has cut its annual passenger target by two million. In Portugal, the Azores lose every Ryanair flight from March.
If you are eyeing tickets for November or January, book earlier than usual. Ryanair warned this week that it expects to cut flights over the winter, and the reason is more precise than it sounds: about 80% of this year’s fuel is bought forward at $67 a barrel, but the remaining 20% is paid at market price, with jet fuel trading near $140. Winter is, in the airline’s own words, an unprofitable season. Fewer seats on sale usually means dearer fares for the ones that remain.
The airline has not published a list of cut routes or a number of flights. It said it was sensible to reduce its exposure to unhedged fuel between November and March, and cut its annual passenger target from 216 million to 214 million — a trim it expects to take 70 to 100 million euros off its winter losses.
What was already settled for Portugal
Part of the Portuguese winter picture was decided before this warning, and it is harsher than the European average. In its release on the Summer 2026 schedule, Ryanair confirmed it is closing all flights to and from the Azores from March, and that Lisbon will see no growth at all, blaming ANA’s airport charges and the capacity limits at Portela for both.
The same document announces 160 summer routes, four new ones from Faro and Porto, and a twelfth aircraft based in Faro. It is a portrait of an operation expanding at the regional airports and stalling everywhere else.
What it means if you are travelling
For a passenger flying from Lisbon or Porto, a thinner winter shows up in the fare rather than the timetable: the main routes stay, with fewer frequencies where demand is weakest. For anyone living in the Azores, or with family there, the calendar is different, and March is the date to mark.
It is worth noting the warning lands while tourism is already sending mixed signals, with July revenue falling in Greater Lisbon while rising almost everywhere else. A winter with fewer low-cost seats will not help turn that around.
Image: curimedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
