Ryanair’s operations in Spain will be reduced by 16% compared to the previous winter, resulting in an overall decrease of one million seats on flights, on top of the 800,000 eliminated during the summer season.
In total, the low-cost airline will cut nearly two million flight seats in Spain by 2025, redirecting capacity to destinations such as Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Albania, Hungary, or Sweden.
“A tourism catastrophe” for some regions of Spain, stated Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson during a presentation in Madrid about the changes in the country’s operations following the end of summer.
The airline will reduce operations by 41% at affected regional airports in mainland Spain (600,000 fewer seats) and by 10% in the Canary Islands (400,000 fewer seats).
Eddie Wilson attributed these cuts to the fees charged by Aena, the company managing Spanish airports, which he described as “excessive and uncompetitive.”
In this context, the company will close its two-aircraft base in Santiago de Compostela and suspend all flights to Vigo from January 1.
Ryanair will also cease operations to Tenerife Norte in the Canary Islands at the beginning of the winter of 2025.
In the summer, the company had already stopped flying to Valladolid and Jerez and will keep operations closed at these two airports.
Conversely, capacity will be reduced at four other airports: Zaragoza (by 45%), Santander (38%), Asturias (16%), and Vitoria (2%).
In the summer, Ryanair had already reduced offerings in Vigo (by 61%), Santiago de Compostela (28%), Zaragoza (20%), Asturias (11%), and Santander (5%).
In the Canary Islands, the cuts affect Tenerife Norte (where Ryanair will completely halt operations), Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote.
Despite the overall cutbacks, particularly in regional airports, Ryanair intends to increase capacity at larger airports in Spain, although the company did not disclose specifics about which ones or to what extent.
“Ryanair remains committed to Spain, but we cannot justify continued investment in airports whose growth is blocked by excessive and uncompetitive fees,” said the Ryanair CEO.
