Ryanair expands in Bratislava and cuts in Vienna

The fleet there will be increased from two to three aircraft. "Bratislava will be the fastest growing airport in Europe in 2026," said Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary on Tuesday. For Vienna airport, however, it remains the case that five out of 19 aircraft will be withdrawn because the government in Vienna is asleep and does not reduce fees and taxes like Bratislava.

O'Leary held two press conferences on Tuesday: One at Bratislava airport together with airport management and politicians, where the Irishman praised the Slovaks' "visionary decision" to ensure passenger growth through lower costs, and a second in Vienna, where he once again portrayed Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) and Transport Minister Peter Hanke (SPÖ) as lazy and stupid, holding a photomontage in front of the cameras.

Ryanair and its long-time CEO are known for publicly putting pressure on municipalities and airport operators to achieve lower costs or even subsidies.

Germany Lowers Ticket Tax Mid-2026

O'Leary once again called for the abolition of the Austrian flight tax of 12 euros per ticket and the reduction of airport and air traffic control fees. There is no reason to hold on to this pointless tax, "the Greens are gone," said the Irish manager. He referred to Germany, where the government announced two weeks ago that it intends to lower the ticket tax back to the level before the 2024 increase by mid-2026.

Due to the withdrawal of five Boeing aircraft from Vienna, Ryanair recently registered around 120 employees with the AMS early warning system. However, according to O'Leary and Laudamotion CEO Andreas Gruber, Ryanair is maintaining its base at the subsidiary Lauda Europe with 14 Airbus A320s.

(APA/Red)

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