Ryanair has confirmed that it will eliminate one million seats to Spain this winter due to price increases by the nation's airport operator.
The airline announced plans to discontinue service to Tenerife North at the beginning of the winter season, close its aircraft base in Santiago, and cut half of its flights to Vigo beginning January 1, 2026.
Until winter, its bases in Valladolid and Jerez will stay closed, and Asturias, Santander, Zaragoza, and Vitoria will see more capacity reductions.
Ryanair said the reductions are in reaction to Aena, the Spanish airport operator, raising passenger fees by 6.62 percent in the upcoming year.
The airline cautioned that some routes will become financially unviable as a result of the move, which will impact rural airports, tourism, jobs, and connectivity.
Despite the cuts, Ryanair stated that it is still dedicated to growing in Spain's regions. The airline will reroute capacity to “more efficient airports” in Sweden, Hungary, Morocco, Italy, and Croatia, CEO Eddie Wilson added.
More than 10,000 pilots, cabin crew, and engineers work for Ryanair, the top passenger airline in Spain.
Although Ryanair is still “committed to Spain” Mr Wilson stated that the airline “cannot justify continued investment in airports whose growth is being stymied by excessive and uncompetitive charges”.
Mr Wilson said: “It is shocking that, despite contributing €28bn (£24bn) to the Spanish economy and one in three tourists arriving on Ryanair flights, there is no willingness to collaborate to stimulate traffic in areas that need capacity, connectivity, and investment.
“Ryanair once again calls on the CNMC and the Spanish government to reject these excessive charge increases and extend the charge freeze to protect regional connectivity, tourism, and jobs.”
Due to fees, Ryanair also pulled one of its planes from Rome Fiumicino, the biggest airport in Italy, earlier this year. And, after Denmark declared that an aviation tax of DKK50 (£5.60) would be implemented, flights to and from Aalborg were also discontinued.
Ryanair blamed aviation taxes and air traffic control expenses for operating 12 per cent fewer flights to and from Germany this summer.
