transportation
Ryanair to end two UK routes from Bergerac airport
Passenger numbers are expected to halve in 2027. ‘We have never been so close to shutting,’ says airport boss
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Bergerac airport is set to lose two Ryanair UK routes in 2027 amid reductions likely to see passenger numbers halved.
The airport – a key transport hub for many British residents and second-home owners in the south-west – expects to lose Ryanair routes to Edinburgh and Bournemouth from the summer season as well as a Transavia route to Rotterdam.
Another eight UK routes, with Ryanair, Jet2 and BA are expected to be maintained although some routes may reduce in frequency.
The airport’s management forecasts no more than 120,000 passengers in 2027, compared with just over 240,000 in 2025 (the last year for which full figures are available).
Christophe Fauvel, the president of the Dordogne CCI, the majority stakeholder in the airport’s operator, is reported to have told local journalists “we have avoided catastrophe”. He said that if Ryanair had left altogether “that could have called the airport’s existence into question” and “we have never in 23 years been so close to shutting”.
In 2003 the CCI of Dordogne launched the development of Bergerac airport with links to Britain – at that time with the company ‘Buzz!’
What are the reasons for the cuts?
The reasons for the expected cuts are related to factors including tax and subsidies, although a spokesman for the airport told The Connexion that “it would be misleading to attribute these developments to a single cause or organisation”.
“The situation therefore reflects a broader change in the economic balance of regional air services, affecting the airport, airlines and the wider region,” the spokesman said.
“However, it is important to distinguish between a reduction in available air services and a decline in passenger demand. A projected 50% fall in airport traffic does not necessarily mean that interest in visiting the Dordogne has fallen by the same proportion.”
He said details are still subject to final negotiations and a new calendar of routes and frequency will be published soon.
Known factors include the solidarity tax on airline tickets (TSBA) that was almost tripled for flights within the continent of Europe in France’s 2025 budget. This is paid by airlines but generally passed on to passengers in ticket prices.
Ryanair, which has said France’s high taxation makes the country uncompetitive as a destination, suspended its winter services in Bergerac in 2025-26, but reinstated them in summer 2026.
The airline pulled out completely from two French bases in recent years.
One change is that the airport previously benefited from arrangements whereby local authorities funded marketing contracts with airlines. These arrangements have faced scrutiny over EU state-aid rules.
From now on, it is the operator who pays the airlines with the amount varying according to passenger numbers. The exact figure has not been disclosed, but it is said to be slightly lower than before. Another change is that negotiations with airlines will take place annually rather than every three years, making the future beyond 2027 less certain.
A study by tourism consultants earlier this year estimated that the Bergerac Dordogne Perigord Airport injects around €30million a year into the local economy and has an “important positive impact” on surrounding departments too.
It is the only international airport in Dordogne and the UK is its largest international market.
Eight UK routes to be offered
At present the summer 2027 season is expected to include the following routes to the UK:
Ryanair: London Stansted, Liverpool and East Midlands.
Jet2: Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol (the latter will be new in May).
British Airways: the London City service is expected to continue with an adjusted frequency, subject to final confirmation of the schedule.
The airport’s spokesman said Jet2's expansion to four UK routes is a positive development, helping to maintain direct connections with several regions of the UK.
He added: “Direct flights to Bergerac make it easier to maintain family connections, travel between homes and organise regular visits to south-west France.
“Changes to the route network may affect travel arrangements, the choice of departure airports, the frequency of journeys and the length of stays.”
He said the changes could have wider consequences, including for local businesses but “at this stage, it would be premature to quantify the precise economic and regional effects of these developments”.
