Ryanair has announced that it is axing all of its routes to a popular holiday hotspot, due to rising costs and travel taxes. The budget airline will cease serving airports in the Azoresas of March 29, 2026.

It once offered six routes to and from the Portuguese-owned islands, including seasonal flights from London Stansted and Bristol Airport, which operated from April to October. It also offered connections from Portugal's mainland, including Lisbon and Porto. This could impact up to 400,000 passengers and increase costs to go to the Atlantic Ocean archipelago. Ryanair'sCCO, Jason McGuinness, said that the decision was made due to the ANA, Portugal's national airport operator, which is owned by the French consortium Vinci, increasing airport costs for airlines. The airline states that Portuguese airport costs have increased by 35% since the COVID-19 pandemic. This doesn't include the £1.76 travel tax and the EU environmental air travel taxes, which disproportionately affect short-haul flights. Mr McGuinness said Ryanair is "disappointed" that the "monopoly" ANA raised fees "to line its pockets at the expense of Portuguesetourism and jobs".

He added: "As a direct result of these rising costs, we have been left with no alternative other than to cancel all Azores flights from 29 March 2026 onwards and relocate this capacity to lower cost airports elsewhere in the extensive Ryanair Group network across Europe.

"This loss of low fare connectivity to the Azores is a direct result of the French monopoly airport operator - VINCI - imposing excessive airport charges across Portugal and the anti-competitive enviro taxes imposed by the EU.

"After 10 years of year-round Ryanair operations, one of Europe's most remote regions will now lose direct low-fare flights to London, Brussels, Lisbon, and Porto due to ANA's high airport fees and Portuguese Govt. inaction."

The airline also said the Portuguese government "must intervene" to ensure that its airports, which are "a critical part of national infrastructure - especially in an island economy like the Azores", are used to benefit the Portuguese people, rather than a "French airport monopoly".

Ryanair's axing of these flights now leaves Brits with only one direct route to the Azores; British Airways offers seasonal flights from London Heathrow to Ponta Delgada Airport.

However, direct flights only run during the peak summer season, although you can book flights with a connection in Portugal's mainland for the rest of the year.

The Azores are not the first destination to see its Ryanair services axed due to costs. Ryanair abandoned a number of regional airports in 2025 including Strasbourg, Bergerac, and Vatry, and has threatened to leave several French airports due to rising taxes.

Jason McGuinness told a French magazine that a 180% tax increase made regional airports 'unviable' for the airline.

The French government's 2025 budget included a tax hike for air travel, meaning domestic and European flights leaving France were hit with an extra cost of €4.77 (approx. £4.21) per ticket.