Ryanair Slashes Volume of Spain Flights Over Airport Charges Row

Ryanair has significantly reduced its traffic to/from Spain – including closing services in two locations, altogether – in response to a row over airport charges with Spanish airport operator AENA.

As a result, Ryanair flight volumes to and from Spain will be 18% lower this summer, with 12 routes and 800,000 seats being taken out of circulation.

Ryanair said that AENA is being particularly excessive with its airport charges at Spain’s regional airports and runs the risk of air traffic moving out of Spain to more competitive European locations.

Spain’s Government introduced a freeze to airport charges in 2021, with it due to run until 2026. According to Ryanair, AENA has still consistently tried to increase fees, despite this move, including at regional airports where traffic volume remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Ryanair will cease operations in Jerez and Valladolid, retire a Santiago-based aircraft and reduce traffic by summer 2025 at five other regional airports: Vigo (-61%), Santiago (-28%), Zaragoza (-20%), Asturias (-11%) and Santander (-5%).

This “completely avoidable loss” of more than 800,000 seats and 12 routes will be “devastating for regional connectivity, employment and tourism in Spain,” Ryanair warned.

Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair, said: “AENA’s excessive airport charges and lack of viable incentives for growth continue to hurt Spain’s regional airports, limiting their growth and leaving huge areas of airport capacity untapped. Following the Spanish government’s commitment to boost Spain’s post-Covid recovery, Ryanair responded by increasing capacity to boost connectivity, tourism and employment. However, AENA persists in unjustified rate hikes and refuses to apply effective incentive systems to support Spain’s regional growth, prioritizing foreign investments in airports in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and the Americas.

“As a result, Ryanair will eliminate all its operations in Jerez and Valladolid, eliminate an aircraft based in Santiago (an investment of 100 million dollars) and reduce traffic in Vigo, Santiago, Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander with the loss of 800,000 seats in this summer of 2025. This is a stark contrast to Castellón – an airport not belonging to Aena – which has recorded steady growth over the past decade thanks to competitive rates and efficient operations. AENA’s decision not to incentivise airlines to use the untapped capacity of its regional airports has forced Ryanair to relocate aircraft and capacity to more competitive European markets, such as Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary and Morocco, where governments are actively incentivising growth.

“Ryanair has long advocated and invested in regional airports supporting access to tourism and employment with low fares, but AENA refuses to use its regional airport structure to support Spanish regional investment, prioritising instead investments in airports outside Spain.

“While Ryanair welcomes the CNMC’s recent decision to halt AENA’s airport tax hike by 2025, it does not cancel out the damage caused by AENA’s 2024 hikes and lack of incentives at regional airports. Ryanair is now asking the CNMC to cancel AENA’s 2024 fee hikes, aligning them with the Government’s five-year rate freeze and to implement incentive packages that attract airlines to grow connectivity, tourism and employment at regional airports. Without urgent action, Spain risks losing more capacity and investment to more competitive markets, leaving regional airports half-empty while Spain’s competitors thrive.”

I