Ryanair axes Bournemouth-Agadir route over government’s APD hike

Ryanair has cancelled a route from Bournemouth Airport to Agadir, Morocco, in protest of a planned increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD).

The budget airline said that it would curtail service after assessing its network in response to the APD increase, which was confirmed in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ October 2024 budget.

From the fiscal year 2026/27, APD for short-haul economy flights will increase from £13 to £15, leading Ryanair to reassess its operations.

Agadir was opened as the airport’s first African route just months ago, in April 2024, marking a watershed moment for Hurn, which has experienced rapid growth. The route was part of Ryanair’s development at the airport, which saw the carrier base a second aircraft there in the summer of 2023, increasing flights by 30 per cent.

This comes days after Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary launched a foul-mouthed tirade against Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

He accused her of being out of touch with economic realities in her support for the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

O’Leary hit out after Reeves outlined her vision for economic growth, which included backing a third runway at Heathrow.

He said the Treasury had “not a clue” about how to drive economic growth and described ministers as “out of touch with f****** reality.”

Rather than supporting Heathrow’s expansion, O’Leary argued that the government should scrap air passenger duty (APD) entirely, claiming it would be a far more effective way to stimulate growth.

The 63-year-old promised Rachel Reeves that if she scraps ADP, Ryaniar woukd increase their traffic by 30million passengers within four years.

He said this will be spread “across all airports.”

O’Leary dismissed the Heathrow expansion as a “dead cat,” suggesting that it would not be realised before the 2040s at the earliest.

Reeves, in her October 2024 budget, announced plans to raise APD starting in the 2026/27 financial year, a move that was immediately criticised by the airline boss.

O’Leary mocked Reeves by dubbing her “Rachel Rubbish” in his remarks.