Ryanair departs from Thessaloniki – Update to employees

Ryanair is said to have announced its decision to withdraw its base from Thessaloniki’s “Macedonia” airport to its staff.

According to the website voria.gr, the company cites the increase in parking fees imposed by the airport’s managing authority, Fraport Greece, as the reason. Although the fees are set annually and uniformly for all airlines, Ryanair has consistently aimed to maintain as low operational costs as possible, taking advantage of its size as the largest European airline.

The same source reports that during a meeting held in Thessaloniki, Ryanair’s executives informed the staff that the base will close in October, at the end of the summer season.

By Friday (June 8), it is expected that Ryanair will announce which few routes it will continue to operate for the upcoming winter season.

It is noted that Ryanair employs around 200 people at its base in Thessaloniki and operates up to 33 daily flights from the “Macedonia” airport.

However, according to the same information, Ryanair’s management has left the door open for a return to Thessaloniki in March 2027, for the next summer season, with one aircraft and presumably fewer flights than currently.

An official update from the Irish airline regarding these developments is still expected.

Meeting at Thessaloniki Municipality

It is reminded that a meeting is scheduled at 14:30 at the Thessaloniki Municipality to provide updates and coordinate efforts regarding Ryanair’s potential departure from the city’s airport.

The Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, along with local authorities, will attend. Among those invited are the Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for Macedonia – Thrace issues, Kostas Gioulekas, the Governor of Central Macedonia, Athena Aidona, tourism bodies, chambers of commerce, and others.

Protest from Mayors of Central Macedonia regarding Ryanair

Meanwhile, the Regional Union of Municipalities of Central Macedonia (P.E.D.K.M.) has strongly protested the potential departure of Ryanair from “Macedonia” airport, stressing that if it proves true, it will lead to a significant reduction in the airport’s connections and networks to dozens of international destinations.

The union also highlighted that the departure of the airline from its Thessaloniki base would result in significant deterioration in passenger service and business operations, with corresponding negative effects on tourism traffic and, more broadly, on the economic activity and development of Northern Greece.