US Edition
Ryanair Slashes Winter Seats in Spain over Airport Fees
Ryanair cites a 6.5% fee increase by Aena as reason for reducing 1 million seats and closing Santiago base, shifting 2 million seats annually to other countries, impacting regional airports.
- On September 3, 2025, Ryanair announced it will cut one million seats and cancel 36 routes with regional airports in Spain and the Canary Islands.
- This decision responds to Aena's planned 6.5% airport charge increase to €11.03 per passenger by 2026 and persistent high fees blocking Ryanair's growth.
- The cuts affect smaller airports including Vigo, Tenerife North, Santiago de Compostela, Valladolid, and Jerez, with secondary airport capacity falling by 41%.
- CEO Eddie Wilson criticized Aena for prioritizing major airports and claimed that Ryanair is redirecting a fleet of 300 new aircraft away from competitive Spanish airports toward other countries like Morocco and Italy due to what he described as an "anti-tourism policy."
- The reductions weaken Spain's regional connectivity, risk increasing airport emptiness near 80%, and may divert traffic to more competitive countries like Italy and Morocco.
61 Articles
61 Articles
The Irish company removes a million seats on the flights in the coming months and closes some bases.The accusation of the management company Aena: "Distorts reality"
After the announcement of the low cost Ryanair company to reduce by 1 million places for this winter in their planes due to the struggle that maintains with Aena for the rise of...
The pulse between Ryanair and Aena returns to the scene after the severe cut of one million places announced by the airline for the winter season in Spain. Few hours after the Irish company has consummated its threat, the airport manager responds with a strong statement from its president Maurici Lucena in which he criticizes the "unscentable strategy of extortion" of the company and accuses him of "distorting the real figures and inflaming his …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
