Ryanair’s decision to leave Billund Airport, cancelling all flights to and from it as retaliation against the Danish government’s flight tax, has had a visible effect on the airport’s traffic. According to a press release by Billund Airport, “In April alone, around 130,000 Ryanair passengers disappeared.” The company left Billund airport – the closest to Legoland – in March.
“Overall, the expected decline in passenger numbers as a result of Ryanair’s exit became evident in April. The month ended with a decrease of 31.4 percent compared to the same period the year before,” the press release stated.
“The level of passenger traffic we see in April matches very well our expectations for the coming months and the year as a whole. We have previously announced that we expect a decline of approximately 25–30 percent this year. That estimate probably still holds. We have had both skill and success in bringing in more capacity, but there are still destinations that both the travelers and we miss – and that we are working hard to be able to offer. For most airlines, the capacity for 2025 is already fully booked, so the focus is now on the summer of 2026, although we hope that 2025 can be supplemented with at least a few more routes,” says Jan Hessellund, CEO of Billund Airport.
Hessellund’s hope is not mere optimism. According to the airport, “If we compare the figures excluding the traffic that Ryanair was responsible for, passenger numbers have increased by 4.5 percent in the first four months of the year. Our charter airlines increased by 11 percent, while the network airlines increased by as much as 17 percent.” In other words, Ryanair’s exit left a vacuum that may be filled—and is already beginning to be—over the coming years.
