Ryanair Threatens to Cut French Flights Over Proposed Tax Hike

Jason McGuinness, Ryanair’s commercial director, has sounded the alarm: if this tax, which currently stands at 1.50 euros per ticket for economy class domestic flights, is tripled, routes like Limoges, Carcassonne or Perpignan will become "economically unviable".

This redeployment of aircraft to more tax-attractive destinations, such as Spain or Poland, could affect connections to Morocco. Indeed, Ryanair often uses its regional French bases as a starting point for flights to the kingdom.

The National Federation of Aviation (Fnam) is concerned about the consequences of this tax increase, which aims to replenish the state’s coffers by one billion euros. According to its estimates, air traffic could drop by 2% in France in 2025, with a greater impact on regional airports.

However, the low-cost company is accustomed to threats against public authorities in order to force them to accept its demands. In 2021, the Irish low-cost Ryanair had threatened to leave the Moroccan market due to "tensions" with the Moroccan authorities who had extended the suspension of all passenger flights to and from Morocco during the Covid period.