The airline justifies this decision with "the high airport fees" that are "set by the French airport monopoly ANA" and with the "inaction of the Portuguese Government".

"Unfortunately, the ANA monopoly has no plan to increase low-cost connectivity with the Azores," accuses Ryanair, noting that, with this decision, the Azores will lose six routes and 400,000 passengers per year.

“ANA faces no competition in Portugal, which has allowed it to obtain monopolistic profits, increasing Portuguese airport fees without any penalty, at a time when competing airports in other EU countries are reducing fees to stimulate growth,” the company adds in a statement.

Therefore, it calls for the intervention of the Portuguese government, “which increased air navigation fees by +120% after Covid and introduced a two-euro travel fee,” and which it accuses of doing nothing. “It must intervene and ensure that its airports serve to benefit the Portuguese people and not a French airport monopoly,” Ryanair asserts.