Ryanair has pulled roughly a million seats from its Spanish winter schedule, a move it attributes to a 6.62% rise in airport charges by Aena, the state-linked airport operator. Into the gap have stepped rivals such as Vueling, Binter and Iberia Express, while Spain's government insists it will not yield to what it calls blackmail. It is a familiar human standoff in which a price dispute becomes a contest over who controls the sky above a region's economy, and the answer will shape how Spaniards travel, especially in the Canary Islands and northwest Spain, for seasons to come.
Five Airlines Expand Spain Winter Flights as Ryanair Cuts Capacity in Airport Fee Dispute
The king is dead, long live the king!
Mark
Ryanair cut about a million seats in Spain. Why is that such a big deal?
Mimi
It hits regional airports hardest. The Santiago base is closed, and Vigo and Tenerife North lose all their winter Ryanair flights.
Mark
And the airline says it's all down to fees?
Mimi
Yes, Aena's 6.62% charge increase. Eddie Wilson called it excessive and the highest in over a decade.
Luke
That's Ryanair's account, though. Aena's president says Ryanair is distorting the figures and chasing more money. The reporting doesn't settle who is right.
Mark
Rivals are adding seats quickly, aren't they?
Mimi
Vueling, Binter and Iberia Express have added 434,000, and Wizz Air plans 40 new routes by March 2026.
Luke
Worth noting that the 434,000 figure comes from Spanish media reports, not an audited count. And it's less than the million Ryanair removed, so the gap isn't fully closed yet.
Mark
What about the 2.8 million figure?
Luke
That's a projection that only holds if Ryanair carries out its threat. Right now it is a threat, and the article also muddles the date, saying summer 2024.
Mimi
The minister's line suggests the government is ready to wait it out.
Il Polso
- Ryanair has cut about 600,000 mainland seats and 400,000 Canary Islands seats, pointing its finger squarely at Aena's 6.62% charge increase.
- Ryanair has closed its Santiago base and dropped winter flights to Vigo and Tenerife North, leaving travellers in those cities scrambling.
- Vueling, Binter and Iberia Express have rushed in with about 434,000 extra seats, and Wizz Air plans 40 new routes by March 2026.
- Transport Minister Óscar Puente vows Spain will not give in, while Aena's Maurici Lucena accuses Ryanair of distorting the figures.
- Ryanair has threatened another million-seat cut next summer, a move that could push the total toward 2.8 million seats and keep the standoff hot.
Ryanair has pulled roughly a million seats from its Spanish winter schedule, a move it attributes to a 6.62% rise in airport charges by Aena, the state-linked airport operator. Into the gap have stepped rivals such as Vueling, Binter and Iberia Express, while Spain's government insists it will not yield to what it calls blackmail. It is a familiar human standoff in which a price dispute becomes a contest over who controls the sky above a region's economy, and the answer will shape how Spaniards travel, especially in the Canary Islands and northwest Spain, for seasons to come.
Ryanair has taken roughly one million seats out of its Spanish winter schedule, about 600,000 on mainland routes and 400,000 to the Canary Islands. The airline says the cuts are a response to a 6.62% rise in airport charges by Aena, which chief executive Eddie Wilson calls excessive and the highest in more than a decade. He argues Aena is chasing record profits, and says much of the capacity will move to airports in Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Sweden and Hungary that want more traffic.
The reductions go further than trimmed timetables. Ryanair has closed its two-aircraft base in Santiago de Compostela and halted winter flights to Vigo and Tenerife North. It has also threatened to remove a further million seats next summer unless Aena reverses the increase, a step that could push the total reduction to 2.8 million seats.
Others are moving quickly to fill the space. Vueling, Binter and Iberia Express have added about 434,000 seats compared with last autumn and winter, with Vueling raising Tenerife North capacity by 11% and Binter lifting its own capacity by a third. Wizz Air will open 40 new routes from Spanish airports by March 2026.
In Madrid, Transport Minister Óscar Puente says other airlines will absorb whatever Ryanair removes and that Spain will not give in to what it calls blackmail. Aena's president, Maurici Lucena, accuses the airline of distorting the figures and of trying to profit at taxpayers' expense. The coming months will show whether Ryanair carries out its summer threat, and whether the new routes hold once winter begins.
Ryanair has taken roughly one million seats out of its Spanish winter schedule: about 600,000 on routes to and from the mainland and around 400,000 on routes to and from the Canary Islands. Its rivals have moved quickly to fill the space, and Spain's government says it will not bend.
The airline lays the blame on Aena, the Spanish airport operator, which raised its airport charges by 6.62%. Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson called the rise excessive and said it was the highest in more than a decade. He suggested Aena is interested only in record profits. In his words, most of Ryanair's winter 2025 capacity in regional Spain will shift to airports that want more traffic, in particular in Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Sweden and Hungary.
The cuts go beyond trimmed schedules. Ryanair has closed its two-aircraft base in Santiago, in northwest Spain, and halted all winter flights to Vigo and Tenerife North. The airline also removed 800,000 seats over the summer, which brings the recent total to nearly 2 million. It has threatened to pull a further one million seats next summer if Aena does not reverse the increase. The source text refers to summer 2024, but the context points to next summer. If the threat is carried out, Spanish media report, the reduction could reach 2.8 million seats.
Competitors are already stepping in. Spanish media report that Vueling, Iberia Express and Binter have added 434,000 seats compared with last autumn and winter. Volotea and Wizz Air have said they want to cover part of the gap. Wizz Air will open 40 new routes from Spanish airports by March 2026.
Vueling, part of the IAG group, is adding 190,000 seats this winter, much of it aimed at the Canary Islands. It has raised capacity at Tenerife North by 11%, with an extra daily flight to Barcelona and to Seville and better links to Santiago, Málaga, Alicante and Valencia. It will schedule 1.5 million seats this winter at Santiago de Compostela and Tenerife North, two of the airports hit hardest by Ryanair's withdrawal.
Binter, the Canary Islands airline, has raised capacity by 33% and will operate 984,349 seats between the islands and the mainland, the Balearics or international destinations. It has about 240,000 extra seats planned, 100,000 of them for Tenerife North, where it has scheduled 413,000 seats in all. It is adding routes to Seville and Badajoz and strengthening direct flights to Vigo, Valencia and Asturias. Iberia Express has added 30,000 seats for the Canary Islands, 5% more than last year, with a large share also going to Tenerife North.
On the government side, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said other airlines will absorb whatever capacity Ryanair removes. "The king is dead, long live the king!" he said, adding that Spain will not give in to what it regards as the airline's blackmail. Aena president Maurici Lucena accused Ryanair of distorting the figures and of trying to make more money at taxpayers' expense.
The next test is whether Ryanair follows through on the further one million seat cut for summer, and whether the new capacity at Santiago, Vigo and Tenerife North holds up once the winter season is under way.
Citazioni salienti
The king is dead, long live the king!— Óscar Puente, Spanish Minister of Transport
Aena's charge increase is excessive and the highest in over a decade.— Eddie Wilson, Ryanair chief executive (paraphrased)
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Economy & Finance