Spain panic as Ryanair to cut 1 million seats and go to Italy instead as airport war rages

Ryanair has warned it will cut another one million seats from flights to Spain (Image: Getty)

Budget airline Ryanair has warned it could strip another one million seats from flights to Spain next summer if the country's airport operator, Aena, does not back down on higher charges. So far, the Irish carrier has already cancelled two million seats for this summer and the upcoming winter season in protest of Aena's 6.5% rise in fees.

Ryanair's CEO, Michael O’Leary, told the Financial Times after the airline’s annual meeting that he will soon return to Madrid and “will probably announce another one million seats coming out next summer”. “If the costs in regional Spain are too high, I will fly elsewhere,” Mr O’Leary added. “If the Spanish government can’t persuade Aena [to back down], then I’ve no desire to serve them anyway.” He revealed that half a million of those seats already pulled from regional airports have been redirected to more major bases in Spain and even Italy.

Ryanair has condemned Aena's plans to raise fees by 6.5% (Image: Getty)

Ryanair has confirmed it will not operate flights to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Valladolid, Jerez and Tenerife North this winter, instead sending them to Malaga, Palma, and Italy.

Aena has decided to increase airport charges next year, resulting in the highest level of charges Spanish airports have seen in a decade. This move was made despite the fact that Spanish airports have reached record passenger numbers.

The Spanish airport authority has, however, insisted that the increase amounts to just €0.68 (£0.59) per passenger. Its chairman, Maurici Lucena, has accused Ryanair of “extortion” and called the airline “impertinent”, arguing that it had applied to run more flights even while announcing cuts. Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente Santiago, has also backed Aena, calling Ryanair’s tactics “blackmail”. 

Meanwhile, consumer affairs minister Pablo Bustinduy has criticised the European Commission for confirming that transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas would meet Mr O’Leary in Brussels.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has said that if Aena do not back down, 'I will fly elsewhere' (Image: Getty)

Spain is Ryanair’s second-largest market after Italy, representing 18% of revenue last year. However, Mr O’Leary said he is prepared to keep cutting capacity if charges remain unchanged.

“It is mad you have a country the size of Spain with one big monopoly,” he added. Aena is a state-owned company, with the Spanish State owning a majority 51% stake through ENAIRE, the state-owned air navigation manager. The remaining shares are publicly traded.

Aena operates 46 airports in Spain, and last year, the country welcomed 94 million international visitors. Ryanair currently flies to over 20 airports, including popular tourist destination Palma de Majorca (PMI), which handled a record 33.3 million passengers in 2024.

Ryanair is also pressuring Spain to improve the competitiveness of its regional airports, which the airline claims are already "almost 70% empty due to a failed tariff structure."