The Northern Hemisphere winter season has officially begun, and from today airlines across Europe are switching to their winter schedules. Ryanair is using that switch as a launchpad, rolling out more than 46 new nonstop routes in just three days as part of a winter programme that will eventually reach at least 140 new routes and nearly 80 million seats across the continent. The Irish low-cost carrier is expanding simultaneously in the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Morocco, a four-front push that shows exactly where its aircraft are heading as the weather turns.
Poland–Italy Is the Centerpiece of Ryanair’s Winter 2026/27 Expansion
The most striking addition sits in the Poland–Italy market, where Ryanair is introducing 13 brand-new direct routes for Winter 2026/27. Four routes started today, October 25, and three more launch over the following two days. Today the carrier commenced services from Warsaw Chopin to Catania, Bari and Venice, while Gdańsk gained a new link to Milan Malpensa. Monday brings a three-weekly Warsaw–Bologna service, followed on Tuesday by three-weekly flights from Gdańsk to Catania and Kraków to Venice. Further out, new services to Naples, Turin and Palermo are planned to complete the network later in the season.
The frequency detail tells its own story. Warsaw–Catania runs six times weekly from October 25, Warsaw–Naples launches five times weekly on December 1, and Gdańsk–Milan Malpensa operates four times weekly from day one. Katowice–Naples begins four times weekly on December 1. Thinner seasonal links, such as Warsaw–Turin, Gdańsk–Turin, Katowice–Turin and Wrocław–Turin, open as single weekly services on October 31 and December 19. Kraków–Venice adds three weekly rotations from October 27, and Gdańsk–Catania follows the next day.
Why Italy and Poland Are Winning Ryanair’s Aircraft
Ryanair has been pulling aircraft away from markets where higher aviation taxes and operating costs make its low-fare model less attractive, with Germany and Belgium among the countries where it has closed bases and cut capacity. Italy sits on the opposite side of that ledger: several Italian regions have abolished their €6.50 municipal passenger tax, and Ryanair is responding by deploying aircraft into those lower-cost markets. Poland has become a major beneficiary of that reallocation, reinforced by a labour and airport cost base that rewards aggressive capacity growth.
Industry data shows Poland is the fastest-growing aviation market among Europe’s ten largest countries this winter, with total capacity up more than 12%. The timing also fits demand patterns: Poles working and studying across Italy create year-round visiting traffic, and the alpine ski season supports the new Turin connections running through the depths of winter.
Morocco Gains Eight New Routes From 16 Based Aircraft
Ryanair is adding eight new routes to Morocco, including Rabat–Stockholm, Rabat–Kraków, Marrakesh–Wrocław, Marrakesh–Karlsruhe, and Agadir to Milan, Nuremberg, Bratislava and Gdańsk. Across Winter 2026/27 the airline will connect 13 Moroccan airports with destinations in 14 countries, and it expects Moroccan capacity to rise by roughly 580,000 seats, or 12%, versus the same season last year. That growth will be supported by 16 aircraft based across the country, including two at the new Rabat base—Ryanair’s fifth in Morocco—which opened in April.
Ryanair first entered Morocco in 2006, when the European Union and Morocco signed an Open Skies agreement that loosened restrictions on air services and allowed European low-cost carriers to expand there. It began with three destinations—Marrakesh, Fez and Oujda—and now operates a country network of 156 routes. The wider context is compelling: Morocco is co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, and the government has introduced an aviation and tourism roadmap aimed at doubling annual visitor numbers. Ryanair has partnered with the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) to support those ambitions.
The Largest-Ever UK Winter Schedule With 435 Routes
Elsewhere, the UK is another market where Ryanair is expanding. Italy remains its busiest market, but the UK will be its second-busiest this winter, anchored by its largest-ever winter schedule in the country: a record 435 routes across eight airports, including 22 brand-new services. At the core sits London Stansted, with an average of 1,224 weekly departures from October 25 onwards, gaining new routes to Glasgow, Malmö in Sweden and Parma in Italy. London Luton adds a new service to Venice.
Further north, Birmingham International Airport is receiving a ninth based aircraft as part of a $900 million investment supporting five new winter routes to Copenhagen, Rome Fiumicino, Warsaw Modlin, Marrakesh and Tirana. In Scotland, Ryanair is increasing Edinburgh’s winter network capacity by 11%, offering 46 routes including three new connections to Milan, Tirana and Warsaw.
What the Three-Day Launch Means for Travelers
For passengers, the rollout is immediate and tangible. The first wave of new departures went on sale months ago and seats are now flying, from Warsaw commuters heading to Bari to Scottish travelers reaching Tirana. The broader Winter 2026/27 programme—covering 140 new routes and roughly 80 million seats—positions ultra-low-cost capacity exactly where rising taxes have pushed legacy carriers away, and travellers booking through the busiest winter weeks will find far more nonstop options than a year ago.
