The airline will reduce 18% of its presence in the Spanish market, affecting several regional airports. The fees charged by the airport operator are the reason for Ryanair.
Are you thinking of going to Spain in summer? If you were considering traveling at a low-cost company, there is bad news for you-there will be Ryanair flight options, which will reduce your operations at various Spanish regional airports.
The airline is removing 800,000 seats, which is equivalent to a 18% reduction in your Spanish market. Twelve routes will be canceled and the airline will completely abandon Jerez and Valladolid airports.
Ryanair attributes the cuts to “excessive” rates imposed by the Spanish airport operator. However, Aen refuted these statements, accusing the airline of “blackmail” and misleading practices. The president of Aena, Maurici Lucena, criticized Ryanair’s approach, stating that “they crossed the rubicar of respect, good faith and commercial courtesy.”
Jerez and Valladolid are the most affected, with the full withdrawal of Ryanair. Valladolid will be only with an operatorBinter Canarias, which offers a limited service twice a week. Jerez, however, maintains calls through other airlines such as vueling and Air Nostrum.
Other regional airports, including Vigo, Santiago, Saragoça, Asturias and Santander, will record reductions. Vigo is the most affected, with a 61% On the flights of Ryanair. Santiago will lose a plane from its base, reducing capacity by 28%, says.
O CEO da Ryanair, Eddie Wilson, blamed the aena rates and the lack of incentives for the underutilization of regional airports. Aen, however, argues that its rates are among the lowest in Europe, remaining in 10.35 euros per passenger Since 2024.
To increase traffic at regional airports, Aena introduced a subsidy that offers a 100% discount on fees for passenger increases beyond 2023 levels. This would effectively reduce the Ryanair rate to only 2 euros per passenger at eligible airports.
Despite these measures, Ryanair says rates remain an obstacle. Aena, in turn, points out that Ryanair continues to grow in the main Spanish airports that do not offer discountssuggesting that the cuts are strategic and not caused by rates.
“I am surprised to question the profitability of these routes,” says Lucena, noting that flights from regional airports are often full and accusing the company to use these cuts to press the government to make more concessions, potentially violating Spanish legislation.
“Despite its grandiloquent rhetoric, Ryanair’s constant public pressure boils down to a simple goal: use for free A significant part of Spanish airports, which would undermine the long -term financial sustainability of the Spanish airport system, ”he says.
