According to the airline, the plan for summer 2026 includes 160 routes in Portugal, including four new ones, and the deployment of an additional aircraft in Faro, in an estimated investment of $100 million. However, no growth is planned for Lisbon.
“Unfortunately, there will be no Ryanair growth in Lisbon in the summer of 2026 due to ANA’s high airport fees,” said the company’s president, Michael O’Leary, at a press conference in Lisbon, adding that these make the airport “artificially limited and uncompetitive.”
The official reiterated his appeal for the opening of Montijo airport, arguing that the infrastructure could be built quickly, since he does not believe that the airport in Alcochete “will not be built during my lifetime”.
Ryanair also warns of impacts on tourism and employment, arguing that it could double traffic in Portugal by 2030 if fees were reduced and airport capacity increased.
Michael O’Leary believes that Portugal should follow the example of countries such as Sweden, Hungary, Albania, Slovakia and Italy, which are “abolishing travel taxes and reducing airport fees to promote growth”.
The airline reiterated its appeal to the government to intervene in the airport management model, arguing that without changes, the country risks losing investment to other European markets.
The list of four new routes for the summer includes one from Faro to Warsaw and three from Porto to Gothenburg, Rabat, and Warsaw.