Ryanair cuts summer flights in Spain, citing high airport fees, BA

Irish budget airline Ryanair announced on Thursday that it will be cutting flights at seven regional airports in Spain this summer due to what it perceives as “excessive fees” imposed by state-controlled airport operator Aena.

Overall, Ryanair plans to reduce capacity on 12 routes by 18%, resulting in the cancellation of approximately 800,000 passenger seats compared to the previous summer, the airline stated.

Ryanair has voiced concerns about Aena’s airport fees for several years, despite a freeze during the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent decision by the competition watchdog to block a planned increase in 2025.

Aena defended its average fee of 10.35 euros ($10.66) per passenger, stating that it is “one of the lowest in Europe”.

Aena also noted that data on Ryanair’s flight schedule for this summer at its airports suggests that there will be more available seats than last summer when Ryanair increased its activity at Spanish airports by 8.7%.

Aena criticized Ryanair for using “spurious arguments” to pressure public institutions and confuse citizens.

Ryanair specified that it will cease operations in Jerez and Valladolid, as well as reduce flights to and from Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, Zaragoza, Santander, and Asturias airport.

The airline, Spain’s largest in terms of passengers, announced plans to shift its aircraft and capacity to countries like Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary, and Morocco, where growth is encouraged by governments.

In 2024, over 309 million passengers traveled through Aena’s Spanish airports, setting a new record as the country attracted a high number of foreign tourists. Spanish authorities anticipate continued growth in tourism this year.