Ryanair has announced 27 new routes for summer 2027, expanding its network across Europe. The Ireland-based low-cost carrier, which operates roughly 3,200 to 3,800 daily aircraft movements, is known for offering low fares to major and regional cities. Some of the newly listed flights for the upcoming season were initially priced at €7.99, or approximately $9, one way.
New Connections to Porto
A significant portion of the new network additions focuses on Portugal. Ryanair will launch a service from Exeter International Airport to Porto starting March 30, 2027. This twice-weekly seasonal route will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays, providing travelers from Devon and the South West of England with another option to reach the country. The airline already operates twice-weekly flights from Exeter to Faro.
Additionally, Bournemouth Airport will gain a direct connection to Porto. This new route will also operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, utilizing a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The Portuguese city will also see the restoration of a link with Friedrichshafen in southern Germany. This route reconnects the German airport to Portugal, a service that has not been available since 2018 when Germania ceased operations. No other carrier currently flies between Friedrichshafen and Portugal.
Network Adjustments and Winter Strategy
While the airline is adding new destinations, it is also making strategic cuts elsewhere. Ryanair has stopped serving five Spanish airports in the past year, reducing summer capacity by over a million seats. In Greece, the carrier closed its base in Thessaloniki and is cutting approximately 700,000 seats this winter. The airline stated that some aircraft from these reduced markets will be moved to more competitive regions, specifically naming Albania, regional Italy, and Sweden.
Italy remains a primary focus for growth. It is Ryanair’s busiest international market for the winter of 2026, 2027, with 3,855 weekly departures scheduled. The airline has targeted Italian regional airports that have reduced access costs or removed municipal surcharges. New routes in Italy include six services from Warsaw Chopin Airport to Bari, Bologna, Catania, Naples, Turin, and Venice.
For the upcoming winter season, Ryanair plans to keep overall capacity broadly flat compared to last year. The carrier has lowered its full-year traffic target from 216 million to 214 million passengers. This adjustment aims to reduce exposure to unhedged jet fuel prices, which are trading near $140 per barrel. According to Reuters, this move is expected to reduce seasonal losses by between $81 million and $116 million.
Despite the capacity reduction, the winter schedule will remain large. Schedule data from Cirium indicates the airline has scheduled more than 395,000 flights, offering nearly 76 million seats. London Stansted Airport will be the busiest hub by weekly departures, with around 1,227 flights in a typical November week. Dublin ranks second with 869 departures, followed by Milan Bergamo with 641. Madrid and Kraków each have 421 weekly departures. The United Kingdom is the second-busiest international market with roughly 2,800 weekly departures, followed by Spain with nearly 2,650.
Source: Simple Flying
