Low-cost carrier Ryanair announced on 26 January 2026 that it will cease all operations at Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport as of 27 March 2026, eliminating three year-round routes to London-Stansted, Porto and Fès. The decision, confirmed by airport management and detailed in Ryanair’s statement, comes amid what the airline calls “punitive” increases in French passenger-departure and environmental taxes introduced in 2025.
Clermont-Ferrand—already one of France’s most subsidy-dependent regional airports—will lose roughly 40 % of its traffic overnight. Business travellers based in the Auvergne tech and tyre clusters will have to connect via Paris or Lyon, adding both cost and travel time. Local chambers of commerce warned the pull-out may deter inward investment and complicate expatriate assignments, especially for firms with operations in Morocco and the U.K.
![Ryanair to Quit Clermont-Ferrand, Cutting Last Low-Cost Links to London, Porto and Fès]()
For mobility managers, immediate actions include rerouting spring travel, renegotiating corporate fares with Air France or easyJet via alternative hubs, and revisiting permanent-establishment location decisions that assumed direct low-cost air links. Employers should also review tax-equalisation budgets: higher fares on legacy carriers could push up gross-up costs for frequent flyers.
Amid these adjustments, don’t overlook visa formalities for new routings. VisaHQ’s platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) can rapidly check requirements and process visas for destinations such as the U.K., Morocco and Portugal, giving France-based travellers a streamlined way to stay compliant when itineraries change at short notice.
Strategically, Ryanair’s withdrawal is another sign that France’s heavier green levies make secondary airports vulnerable. Similar exits in Bergerac, Strasbourg and Vatry have already shifted passenger flows to high-speed rail and long-haul hubs. Companies with distributed French footprints may need to rebalance between air and rail policies and increase use of remote-work allowances to limit travel demand.
Clermont-Ferrand—already one of France’s most subsidy-dependent regional airports—will lose roughly 40 % of its traffic overnight. Business travellers based in the Auvergne tech and tyre clusters will have to connect via Paris or Lyon, adding both cost and travel time. Local chambers of commerce warned the pull-out may deter inward investment and complicate expatriate assignments, especially for firms with operations in Morocco and the U.K.
For mobility managers, immediate actions include rerouting spring travel, renegotiating corporate fares with Air France or easyJet via alternative hubs, and revisiting permanent-establishment location decisions that assumed direct low-cost air links. Employers should also review tax-equalisation budgets: higher fares on legacy carriers could push up gross-up costs for frequent flyers.
Amid these adjustments, don’t overlook visa formalities for new routings. VisaHQ’s platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) can rapidly check requirements and process visas for destinations such as the U.K., Morocco and Portugal, giving France-based travellers a streamlined way to stay compliant when itineraries change at short notice.
Strategically, Ryanair’s withdrawal is another sign that France’s heavier green levies make secondary airports vulnerable. Similar exits in Bergerac, Strasbourg and Vatry have already shifted passenger flows to high-speed rail and long-haul hubs. Companies with distributed French footprints may need to rebalance between air and rail policies and increase use of remote-work allowances to limit travel demand.
