Ryanair Expands Bratislava Operations with Additional Aircraft and New Routes

Ryanair has announced an expanded winter 2026 (W2026) schedule at Bratislava Airport, including the addition of a fourth based aircraft and the introduction of new routes.

The airline plans to operate 23 routes from Bratislava, with four new destinations: Paphos, Tirana, Turin and Warsaw.

Ryanair Expands Flight Choices from Slovakia

As part of the expansion, Ryanair will base an additional Boeing 737 aircraft in Bratislava from October 2026. The investment is valued at approximately $400 million.

The expanded schedule is expected to increase annual passenger traffic to over 2.2 million, representing growth of around 125% compared to previous levels.

The airline stated that the expansion is expected to support more than 1,600 jobs in the region, including roles for pilots, cabin crew and associated airport services.

Michael O’Leary, CEO, Ryanair, said, As Europe’s No. 1 airline, Ryanair is pleased to visit Bratislava today to announce even more growth, with a 4^th based B737 aircraft for W2026 – a $400m investment supporting over 1,600 local jobs, including 30 new high-paid pilot and cabin crew job. With this additional aircraft, Ryanair will deliver a record W2026 schedule for Bratislava, including 4 new routes to Paphos, Tirana, Turin, and Warsaw, which will see our Bratislava traffic grow 125% to over 2.2m passengers.

This rapid Ryanair growth is due to Slovakia’s pro-growth aviation policies – including zero enviro taxes, and lower ATC fees – which gives Slovak citizens/visitors even more low fare travel choices, while strengthening Bratislava’s position as one of Europe’s fastest growing airports. Lower access costs are the only way to deliver rapid growth, and Ryanair is confident that the Slovak Govt and Bratislava Airport will continue this successful low-cost/high-growth strategy, which has made Slovakia one of Europe’s fastest growing aviation markets.”

Dušan Novota, CEO, Bratislava Airport  said: “Over the past year, Ryanair has reached a major milestone in Bratislava, expanding its base from two aircraft to three and now four aircraft after more than a decade of operating a two-aircraft base. Thanks also to Ryanair’s continued growth, Bratislava has become one of the fastest-growing airports in Europe. As Ryanair has been a key and long-term partner of Bratislava Airport for more than 20 years, we highly value this successful cooperation and its continued growth in the Slovak market.”

The growth in operations follows recent policy measures introduced by the Government of Slovakia, including adjustments to aviation-related charges and fees. These measures are aimed at supporting traffic growth and tourism development.

Ryanair has operated from Bratislava Airport for over two decades. The current expansion increases the number of based aircraft at the airport from three to four.

The airline has also introduced a limited-time promotional fare sale associated with the new routes and expanded schedule.