TUI Fly will significantly scale back its operations at Antwerp International Airport (ANR) in Deurne this summer, Gazet van Antwerpen reports. The airline, which has long been the only major carrier at Antwerp Airport, will no longer fly to Ibiza in Spain, Antalya in Turkey (Türkiye) or Crete in Greece from Deurne. 

Last summer, TUI Fly operated two aircraft serving seven destinations, but from this year onward only one aircraft will be based in Deurne through the summer months. The company has decided to extend its winter schedule, which focuses solely on Tenerife, Málaga, Alicante and Mallorca – routes that perform strongly due to the large number of second-home owners departing from Deurne. These will remain the only destinations available from Deurne until at least October 2026.

According to spokesperson Piet Demeyere, the shift is a commercial adjustment influenced by Brussels Airport’s larger and more stable market. If Brussels can sustain flights like those to Ibiza or Crete at a more favourable price point, TUI Fly sees it as logical to concentrate services there. The airline operates with a limited fleet and must continually monitor where demand is strongest and where flight schedules are most profitable. With Deurne and Brussels located so close to each other, TUI Fly believes maintaining only the lean winter rhythm at Deurne year-round makes commercial sense.

How is Antwerp International Airport doing?

Antwerp Airport’s recent performance has been turbulent. Passenger numbers fell by 20% in 2024 to just over 208,000. Although the first half of that year saw record traffic, operations were disrupted from late June to early October when TUI Fly suffered a shortage of spare parts for its Embraer aircraft. 

As a result, flights were temporarily moved to Brussels Airport, leaving Deurne with very little activity for several months. In 2025 the airport again faced delays: TUI Fly could not begin its summer season in April due to ongoing uncertainty about parts, only starting operations in June. 

This meant significantly lower passenger numbers in the early summer months. With the airline reducing its destinations and continuing to operate only one aircraft next year, the airport expects these constraints to affect its results into 2026 as well.

Politics

A separate parliamentary hearing on Antwerp Airport revealed that the airport is heading for a small profit this year, after a loss of 658,000 euros last year.

CEO Nathan De Valck said the first eleven months of the year showed a modest surplus and he expects this to hold through year’s end. The improvement is largely due to the absence of last year’s operational disruptions at TUI Fly. Passenger numbers have also risen slightly to around 220,000. However, the airport still carries accumulated losses of 2.3 million euros, and De Valck acknowledged that although the bleeding has stopped, the financial wound remains deep.

One of the structural problems highlighted during the hearing is the airport’s extreme dependence on TUI Fly. 

Transport economy

Transport economist Wouter Dewulf of the University of Antwerp explained that the airport’s annual revenue is roughly 10 million euros, half of which consists of government subsidies while the other half comes from operational income. Two thirds of that operational income is generated by TUI Fly alone. 

Dewulf described this as a highly fragile situation that would pose a serious threat to the airport if the airline ever withdrew. De Valck agreed with the analysis and said the airport is looking for alternative carriers, but attracting new airlines remains difficult. 

Many operators are still dealing with the long tail of the pandemic, and Deurne’s short runway limits the types of aircraft that can use the airport. Only eight leisure airlines have suitable aircraft, and none of them have spare capacity for the coming winter or summer seasons. As a result, no new holiday airlines will be arriving at Deurne in 2026.

Political criticism

The airport also continues to face political criticism. Last year, Deurne recorded only 1,647 movements for scheduled flights, compared with 14,679 training flights and 5,214 business flights. 

Several opposition parliamentarians questioned whether public money should be used to support such an airport. Some argued that subsidising business flights and training flights is not a responsible use of taxpayer funds, suggesting instead that these resources could go to public transport. 

Others criticised the airport’s business plan and questioned whether residents of surrounding municipalities should continue financing what they see as a city airport. Calls were also made for a thorough audit of Antwerp Airport and for subsidies to be frozen until greater transparency about financial flows is provided.

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