Ryanair steps in as EasyJet permanently axes all flights from UK airport

EasyJet flew from Leeds Bradford Airport for 16 years (Picture: Getty Images) EasyJet has confirmed it will stop operating all flights from Leeds Bradford Airport from January 5, 2027, after 16 years. The budget airline has cancelled all routes from the Yorkshire hub, including those to Geneva, Paris, Belfast, Barcelona, Malaga, and Mallorca. Easyjet say the decision was made to focus on developing its ‘most popular’ routes. Customers with EasyJet bookings from Leeds Bradford beyond January 5 next year have been offered a free transfer to flights from an alternative airport or a refund, the operator confirmed, and apologised for any inconvenience caused. But if travellers have got their heart set on departing from the West Yorkshire airport, Ryanair have stepped in too. In a savvy business move, the competitor carrier is today (Thursday, August 20) offering ‘rescue fares’ on EasyJet’s ‘full Leeds Bradford schedule’ from January 5, 2027, including its existing Malaga route, for £29.99. This discounted price will be available to book until the end of February. In a statement to Metro, EasyJet explained the surprise move away from LBA: ‘Following a review of our routes from Leeds Bradford Airport, we have made the decision to no longer operate flights from the airport after 5 January. ‘Our focus is on maintaining and developing routes which prove most popular with customers.’ This decison is in order to focus on their more popular routes (Picture: Getty Images) Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Scheduled flights will operate as normal until January 5, 2027. Meanwhile, Ryanair’s director of comms, Jade Kirwan, said in a statement to Metro that EasyJet had ‘abandoned’ the airport. The statement reads: ‘While EasyJet abandons Leeds Bradford, cutting its full schedule from 5 Jan 2027, Ryanair is saving the day with rescue fares from just £29.99 for affected passengers – particularly those booked to fly easyJet from Leeds Bradford to Malaga, who can now switch to one of Ryanair’s 10 Malaga services per week.’ Currently, EasyJet flights from Leeds Bradford to Belfast are available to book up until January 4, 2027, according to their website. Paris is available until January 1, Barcelona until January 2, Malaga and Mallorca until November 1, while Geneva, which is a seasonal route, has no dates to book at all. Ryanair is offering ‘rescue fairs’ for all the affected EasyJet routes (Picture: NurPhoto) This news comes after it was announced earlier this month that Easyjet is set to be bought by private equity firm Apollo, in a deal worth £5.7 billion. Apollo pledged not to cut any jobs within the first year after the takeover has been completed. The air carrier currently employs over 19,000 people. It has not been a stellar year for the airline, as EasyJet reported a 70% profit fall in July. This was attributed to an increase in jet fuel prices and lower bookings. Despite this, global travel data provider OAG revealed EasyJet remained the UK’s largest airline by seat capacity this summer, offering about 23.4 million departure seats from and within the country, an increase of 5.2% from last summer. Other airlines currently flying from Leeds Bradford include Leeds-based Jet2.com, plus fellow budget airline Ryanair, and Tui, KLM, Wizz Air and SunExpress. EasyJet reportedly only represented 3.3% of Leeds Bradford’s network this summer, which includes over 1,000 routes. Jet2 and Ryanair account for the vast majority, at 83.5%. Leeds Bradford Airport is a major base for Jet2.com, and hosts eight other airlines aside from EasyJet (Picture: Getty Images) As such, the short-term impact on revenue is expected to be low for Leeds Bradford, which recorded its ‘busiest year ever,’ with 4.29 million passengers between 2024 and 2025. Metro has contacted Leeds Bradford Airport for comment. Last year Leeds Bradford opened its new £100 million terminal expansion, which included more retail space, seating and new lounges. Plus, Jet2 announced new routes to Santorini and Preveza from the airport. In other EasyJet news, the airline announced in June that they will launch 13 new winter routes for eight regional airports – including Newquay Airport, one of the smallest commercial airports in the UK, and the first international route from the airport for EasyJet. Our Top Shopping Picks Amazon has slashed the price of Cetaphil's bestselling sensitive skin products Parents can save up to 30% on Kickers school shoes ahead of the new term The back-to-school hack that's helping parents avoid queues and sold-out sizes Could your hair be wavy rather than straight? This brand thinks so Could your star sign improve your skincare routine? This new beauty launch thinks so The company also introduced new routes to Preveza, the gateway to Lefkada, the ‘Greek Caribbean’, from Manchester Airport, which jetted off on June 24. More travel from Metro Do you have a story you’d like to share? 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