Wizz Air threatens to cut UK flights due to rising tax price

The budget airline issued the warning as it assesses the impact of the rising air passenger duty (APD) on demand and profitability.

APD, a tax imposed by HMRC and paid by airline passengers, reached a record high in April and is set to rise again next year in line with inflation.

Chief executive of Wizz Air, József Váradi, speaking in The Telegraph, said: “We are evaluating the impacts of those measures to see how they would play out, so that would affect our capacity in the UK.

“Nothing is ever engraved in stone.

“We have to evaluate how exactly that plays out on our network, our customer base and our financial performance and make decisions accordingly.”

Mr Váradi said Wizz Air is “committed to the UK”, but added that “if the cost of business is going up, that will result in capacity rationalisation if you are unable to pass it on to customers.”

Wizz Air boss issues update on fare prices

Despite increasing fuel prices driven by the conflict in Iran, Mr Váradi said the airline aims to keep fares stable this summer.

He said he had no concerns about fuel supplies, with good visibility until the middle of August, although some countries have begun tapping into strategic reserves.

Earlier this year, Wizz Air cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and other Middle Eastern destinations following the outbreak of conflict in the region.

These cancellations, along with suspended routes to Cyprus, cost the airline an estimated €50 million (£43.1 million).

Wizz Air fare prices look set to remain stable this summer, despite the conflict in the Middle East. (Image: Getty Images)

Flights to Tel Aviv resumed at the end of May, and the airline shifted its summer offerings to other destinations, including Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Albania.

British Airways and Ryanair among other major airlines to have cut flights

Several other airlines have been forced to cut flights, increase fares, or axe UK routes in 2026.

UK airline Skybus announced back in April that it had ceased all flights between Cornwall and London due to “the huge rise in the global cost of fuel” and “a significant drop in new passenger bookings”.

Due to the “ongoing uncertainty” caused by the conflict in the Middle East and airspace restrictions, British Airways (BA) was also forced to cancel or suspend flights to various destinations, including Dubai and Doha, in March.

BA had been set to resume its regular schedule to Dubai International Airport on July 1.

However, this has now been delayed, and all flights between the UK and Dubai have been cancelled until October 25.

All flights to Amman, Bahrain, and Tel Aviv have also been cancelled until October.

BA has also confirmed it is reducing its Doha schedule to one daily flight, set to resume from August 1, according to Time Out.

Ryanair has also been forced to make several major changes in 2026.

In April, the budget airline revealed it would be closing its Berlin base as of October 24, reducing the number of flights it operates out of the German capital by 50% (for its upcoming winter schedule).

Ryanair also announced it will close its Thessaloniki base and reduce capacity at Athens Airport for the 2026 winter season.

This closure will result in:

• 12 routes being cut
• The loss of 700,000 seats
• A 45% reduction in passenger capacity
• Suspension of operations in Chania and Heraklion

The airline said both these cuts were due to high airport costs.

All the cuts made by Ryanair recently due to rising costs have resulted in flights being cut from 19 airports across the UK and Europe, according to The Sun:

United Kingdom

• London Stansted
• Manchester

Ireland

Germany

• Berlin Brandenburg
• Cologne Bonn
• Hamburg

Italy

Portugal

Belgium

France

Poland

Hungary

Romania

Bulgaria

Spain

Travellers flying to or from these airports are being urged to check their schedules before flying to ensure their bookings are still going ahead.

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