Ryanair is canceling 12 routes from Vienna International Airport this winter

Ryanair is implementing the cuts it announced at Vienna International Airport. In the winter flight schedule, only 12 aircraft are now based in Vienna; in the summer there were 14, and last winter there were 16. According to Ryanair, this will result in the elimination of 10 routes from Vienna; on 8 of these, the airline was competing with Lufthansa subsidiary AUA. In addition, the London flights from Linz and Klagenfurt will be discontinued. Approximately 80 jobs are affected.

Andreas Gruber, the Ryanair manager responsible for Austria, told the APA which routes from Vienna had been canceled: Copenhagen, Marseille, Tel Aviv, Dubrovnik, Niš, Salerno, Seville, Warsaw, Lanzarote, and Riga.

Ryanair cites taxes and fees

Ryanair cites what it considers to be excessively high costs in Austria as the reason. The government has failed to abolish the air travel tax of 12 euros per ticket. Air traffic control fees have risen by 60 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic, while Vienna Airport’s fees have increased by 30 percent. As a result, the location is not competitive with neighboring countries.

In the statement, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary accused Chancellor Christian Stocker of inaction. He said the government's 30 million euro aid package for the aviation industry, announced in June, was insufficient. O'Leary called for it to be scrapped and for the air travel tax to be abolished instead. Otherwise, he said, Austria would continue to lose aircraft, routes, and growth to lower-cost EU countries.

Background

Ryanair has already withdrawn five Boeing aircraft from Vienna since the fall of 2025. The company has so far retained the 14 Airbus A320s operated by its subsidiary, Lauda Europe. Ryanair and Wizz Air began operating in Vienna in 2018 following the bankruptcy of Air Berlin’s subsidiary Niki. Wizz Air completely withdrew from Vienna last year.

What does this mean for landlords?

The cancellations primarily affect low-cost flights for city travelers. Anyone renting out apartments in Schwechat, Simmering, or other locations near the airport on a short-term basis should expect fewer short-trip guests from the canceled destinations. There is no evidence of any direct impact on traditional long-term rentals. The approximately 80 jobs affected are spread out across the region and have little effect on the rental market around the airport.