Ryanair says its Swedish traffic is set to increase by 16 percent to 4.6 million passengers per year. The airline says its winter 2026 programme includes 43 routes, five of which are new, while an additional aircraft will be based at Stockholm Arlanda.
Ryanair will present its Swedish traffic program for winter 2026 on September 10.
According to the company, the operations are expanding with an eighth aircraft based in Sweden. The new Boeing 737 aircraft will be based at Arlanda.
The five new routes that Ryanair is presenting are Stockholm–Rabat, Stockholm–Warsaw, Stockholm–Wroclaw, Gothenburg–Budapest and Malmö–London.
Ryanair values the investment in the eight based aircraft at a total of $800 million.
Ryanair expects 4.6 million passengers
According to Ryanair's own data, the Swedish traffic program corresponds to 4.6 million passengers per year, which the company states is an increase of 16 percent.
Ryanair also states that the expansion since the Swedish aviation tax was abolished in July 2025 includes three additional based aircraft and 760,000 more passengers at six Swedish airports.
– Since the Swedish government abolished the aviation tax in July 2025, Ryanair has responded with growth, three additional based aircraft and 760,000 more passengers at six Swedish airports, says Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson.
The company also states that its operations in Sweden support over 3,600 jobs. No further details on the basis for the calculation are provided in the press release.
Ryanair criticizes Swedavia's fees
In connection with the presentation, Ryanair criticizes the development of Swedish airport and security fees.
Ryanair states that Swedavia's airport charges have increased by 22 percent since the aviation tax was abolished. According to the company, the security fee is also expected to increase by 67 percent from March 2027.
Ryanair claims that the cost increases risk making Sweden less competitive as the company distributes aircraft and capacity between different European markets.
The company therefore wants Swedavia's airport fees to be restored to the 2024 level and that the security fee be permanently abolished.
“There is no guarantee that our continued growth will come to Sweden. Sweden is competing with airports all over Europe for aircraft and growth,” says Eddie Wilson.
The information about the fee increases and the assessment of how they affect Sweden's competitiveness comes from Ryanair and has not been supported by any external evidence in the press release.
Target of eight million passengers by 2030
Ryanair states that its goal is to increase Swedish traffic to eight million passengers per year by 2030 and base five additional aircraft in the country.
The company is also linking the planned expansion to lower costs in the Swedish market.
When Ryanair now plans capacity for the summer of 2027, the company is therefore signaling that future investments and traffic growth in Sweden will be affected by developments in airport and security fees.
