Ryanair cancels five European routes and adds a new flight from UK in a major shuffle

Ryanair has discontinued flights to five European destinations from its Maastricht base, including Alicante, Bari, Girona, Porto, and Zadar. The airline has also confirmed that the base will close after October 2025.

Ryanair’s Maastricht base closure—its second this year following Billund in April—will halt flights to five destinations from the Netherlands and Belgium region, affecting UK travellers who relied on Maastricht as a budget-friendly gateway to Europe, aviation experts warned. The airline officials stated that the decision followed a significant rise in airport costs, which has made it one of the most expensive airports in Europe.

Ryanair’s CCO Jason McGuinness said: “Ryanair is disappointed to announce the removal of all our flights to Maastricht Airport from 26 October 2025, which comes as a result of the Airport’s excessive cost increases and the Dutch Govt’s soaring aviation taxes of almost €30 per passenger, which have increased by +275% since 2021.

“These significant cost increases make Maastricht Airport one of the most expensive airports in Europe and completely uncompetitive compared to other countries and low-cost airports elsewhere in Europe, who are reducing airport costs and abolishing aviation taxes to stimulate traffic recovery and growth.”

Anton Radchenko, Aviation Expert & Founder of AirAdvisor, has advised passengers to keep track of their flights amid the new changes. He said: "Ryanair’s route reshuffle sends two clear signals: regional airports in the UK are getting more love, while underperforming bases like Maastricht are being cut loose. For UK passengers, this creates more direct options from places like Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Norwich, but also leaves them exposed to short-notice route cancellations.

"My top advice is to book early on new routes, watch for red flags on unpopular ones, and don’t wait too long to rebook if your flight gets axed. And always keep track of your rights: free meals, hotel accommodation, and airport transport are still owed for delays over 2–4 hours, depending on the flight length, even if compensation isn’t."

However, apart from this, the airline has also announced a new and direct flight from Edinburgh to Rzeszów, in Poland. The new twice-weekly flights are set to launch on October 27, 2025 and will operate on Mondays and Fridays

Mr Radchenko praised the budget airline for strategically announcing the move. He said: "The launch of Edinburgh–Rzeszów may not make headlines like Rome or Barcelona, but it offers something Ryanair is quietly mastering: giving communities exactly what they need. The VFR traffic here is strong, and the airline knows it. However, passengers need to be cautious because seasonal or niche routes are the first to disappear if bookings fall short."