Travel/Public Service · NEWS EXPLAINER
Ryanair adds 3 Modlin aircraft and 18 Warsaw routes for winter 2026
Ryanair says its Winter 2026 Warsaw schedule will add three based aircraft at Warsaw-Modlin and list 18 new routes across Modlin and Chopin. The September plan expands the May schedule, but some destinations were announced earlier or may be returning services, so travelers should verify dates and the correct Warsaw airport before booking.
Ryanair has expanded its Winter 2026 plan for Warsaw, saying it will base three additional aircraft at Warsaw-Modlin and offer 18 routes that it classifies as new across the two Warsaw airports. Reuters reported the airline values the three additional Modlin aircraft at $300 million and says the Modlin base will total nine aircraft for the winter season.
The practical change for travelers is split between two airports. The current September schedule lists 11 new routes from Modlin and seven from Warsaw Chopin. A Polish travel publication comparing the September announcement with Ryanair’s May plan notes that some destinations were already announced earlier or may be returning services, so “new” should be read as part of the airline’s current winter schedule rather than proof that every route has never operated before.
The 18-route expansion is split between Modlin and Chopin
The September list names Birmingham, Bratislava, Bristol, Budapest, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Manchester, Palma, Shannon, Stockholm and Zagreb as the 11 new Modlin routes. At Warsaw Chopin, the seven listed additions are Bari, Bologna, Catania, Liverpool, Naples, Turin and Venice.
That gives Ryanair a stated winter network of 30 routes at Modlin and 16 at Chopin. Travelers searching for “Warsaw” should check the airport code and ground transport before buying, because Modlin and Chopin are separate airports with different access options.
Three more based aircraft raise Modlin’s winter capacity
Reuters says Ryanair plans to base three additional aircraft at Warsaw-Modlin at a stated cost of $300 million. The airline says the winter base will total nine aircraft and links the added capacity to a target of roughly doubling Modlin passenger traffic to 3.2 million a year.
The passenger figure is a company target, not a completed traffic result. The confirmed news development is the announced aircraft and schedule expansion; actual passenger totals will depend on operations and demand during the season.
September’s schedule expands the May plan
The September announcement is broader than Ryanair’s May winter plan. LastRadar’s comparison says the May plan referred to 12 new routes across Warsaw and eight aircraft based at Modlin, while the September list now contains 18 routes classified as new and nine Modlin-based aircraft.
The comparison also matters for wording: seven Chopin routes had already been announced in May, and several Modlin destinations are additions to the later list. A route being labelled “new” in the current winter schedule does not necessarily mean the city pair has never been served before.
What travelers should verify before booking
The announcement does not provide a complete set of launch dates and weekly frequencies for every route. Before booking accommodation or airport transport, travelers should confirm the exact flight date, frequency and airport in Ryanair’s live booking calendar.
The most important distinction is the airport: Modlin handles the larger Ryanair base and most of the listed additions, while Chopin has a separate 16-route Ryanair winter schedule. The expansion increases options, but it does not guarantee daily service or full-season availability on every listed route.
