Airline company Ryanair withdraws from Tenerife Norte and Vigo airports, shuts down its base in Santiago, and redistributes a million flight seats to Italy and Morocco.
In an unexpected move, budget airline Ryanair has announced a significant reduction in seats at regional Spanish airports for the 2022/2023 winter season. Antonio RamΓrez Cerezo, Ryanair's CEO, made this declaration on Wednesday, September 15.
The decision comes in response to a 6.8% increase in airport fees that Aena, the Spanish airport authority, will implement next year. Ryanair has criticised this increase, along with the refusal of Aena to apply incentives to increase capacity at airports with less than three million passengers in Spain.
As a result, Ryanair will cancel 36 direct connections with regional Spanish airports and the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands airports are the worst affected, representing 40% of the million seats cut.
The new adjustment will also mean abandoning the airports of Valladolid, Jerez, Vigo (from January 1, 2026), and Tenerife Norte. Ryanair will suppress 38% of seats in Santander, 45% in Zaragoza, 16% in Asturias, and 2% in Vitoria.
Santiago de Compostela will be heavily affected, with Ryanair closing its base and taking away two aircraft. This closure will mean an investment loss of $200 million for Galicia. The destinations for the two aircraft taken from Santiago include Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Albania, Sweden, and Hungary.
Ryanair has asked the CNMC and the Spanish government to reject these excessive tax increases and extend the freeze to protect regional connectivity, tourism, and employment. The airline argues that Aena's airport tariffs, while "extraordinarily competitive" and "significantly lower than those of comparable European operators," are still causing financial strain.
Aena concentrates 85% of traffic in 10 airports from a network of 46, a fact that Ryanair has used to highlight the disproportionate burden on smaller airports. Despite this, Ryanair has pledged to continue investing "in the most competitive airports."
The government had promised during the pandemic to freeze Aena's taxes until 2027, but they have been increasing. This inconsistency has led to criticism from Ryanair, with CEO Wilson accusing Aena of not understanding the European airline industry.
In response, the Minister of Transport, Γscar Puente, has stated that the government is committed to maintaining a competitive airport system and that the increase in fees is necessary to cover costs. However, the impact on regional airports and the potential loss of connectivity and jobs remains a concern for Ryanair and other stakeholders.
