Ryanair adds 9th aircraft at Birmingham Airport

The additional aircraft will deliver 5 new routes to Copenhagen, Rome Fiumicino, Warsaw Modlin, Marrakesh and Tirana. Ryanair has also increased frequencies on another 7 routes, including destinations like Barcelona, Poznan and Budapest offering Ryanair’s customers in the West Midlands with even more low-fare choice and regular connections this Winter.  

Ryanair’s Birmingham Winter 2026 schedule will deliver: 

• 40 routes, incl. 5 new routes to Copenhagen, Rome Fiumicino, Warsaw Modlin, Marrakesh and Tirana 

• 9 based aircraft (+1 vs. W25 – US$900m investment in Birmingham) 

• Increased freq. on 7 routes  

• Birmingham traffic grows to 4m passengers p.a. (+21%) 

Ryanair’s CMO, Dara Brady, said: “Ryanair is pleased to announce our 9th based aircraft at Birmingham Airport for Winter 2026, which will grow our Birmingham traffic by 21% and create dozens more local jobs, building on the 3,270 local jobs that Ryanair already supports. With this new aircraft comes 5 exciting new Ryanair routes to Copenhagen, Rome Fiumicino, Warsaw Modlin, Marrakesh and Tirana, as well as extra frequencies on 7 of our existing routes, including top city break destinations like Barcelona, Poznan and Budapest offering our customers in the West Midlands with more choice at the lowest fares in Europe, while simultaneously driving important inbound tourism and supporting local jobs.   

While Ryanair is growing at Birmingham, other regional airports across the UK are being hamstrung by the idiotic decision to increase APD. If the UK Govt is serious about delivering growth, they should abolish this penal and damaging APD tax, which makes the UK, particularly regional airports, uncompetitive compared to EU countries like Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, and regional Italy, which are abolishing aviation taxes and lowering access costs to stimulate traffic, tourism, and jobs growth.  

The UK has gone the wrong way by raising APD to £15 per passenger, and now the Labour Govt proposes to ‘double tax’ visitors by allowing Regional Mayors to levy a tax on hotel overnights. Ryanair has already submitted plans to the Labour Govt to grow UK traffic by 27% to 80M passengers by 2030, but this growth can only be delivered if the Govt abolishes its damaging and penal APD tax, which is now the highest in Europe.  

Ryanair also called on Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, to dismiss overpaid failed NATS CEO Martin Rolfe. After repeated collapses of the UK ATC system, it is time for NATS to appoint a new and competent CEO who will develop an effective backup system which can actually avoid mass flight cancellations and delays.” 

Matt Hazelwood, Chief Commercial Officer at Birmingham Airport, said: “Ryanair's decision to add new routes from Birmingham Airport for winter 2026 is a strong vote of confidence in both the airport and the wider region. We are proud of our long-standing partnership and pleased to work together to deliver the destinations our customers are looking for, giving them even greater choice and connectivity while responding to the Midlands' growing demand for air travel.”