Ryanair Cuts Spanish Flights Amid Sky-High Airport Fees

Ryanair, a budget airline, is reducing flights at seven Spanish regional airports due to high fees charged by Aena. The airline will cease operations in Jerez and Valladolid, cut routes in several other cities, and cancel 800,000 seats. It plans to redeploy aircraft in other countries.

Ryanair announced significant cuts to its summer flight schedule at seven regional airports in Spain, citing the "excessive fees" imposed by airport operator Aena as the main reason.

The budget airline will halt operations in Jerez and Valladolid and reduce flights to and from Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, Zaragoza, Santander, and Asturias. Overall, this impact will see a reduction in capacity by 18% across 12 routes and the cancellation of 800,000 passenger seats compared to last summer.

Ryanair intends to redeploy its aircraft to countries like Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary, and Morocco, where official policies are more favorable to airline growth. The airline has previously criticized the fees imposed by Aena, a contention that persisted despite a freeze during the COVID-19 pandemic and a regulatory decision to block a planned fee increase in 2025. Meanwhile, Spanish airports witnessed record passenger numbers last year, fueled by a surge in foreign tourism.

(With inputs from agencies.)