Ryanair drops 12 flight routes in protest against 'excessive' airport charges in Spain

Budget Irish airline Ryanair has announced it will drop 12 routes to Spain - 800,000 seats for its summer offer - as the carrier ups its protest against Spanish airport operator Aena and its "excessive" airport charges. The low cost airline is also citing ineffective incentives at regional airports and will cease operations at Jerez and Valladolid airports.

Ryanair will withdraw a plane based in Santiago de Compostela and reduce air traffic in Vigo (-61%), Santiago (-28%), Zaragoza (-20%), Asturias (-11%) and Santander (-5%) in what they consider a "completely avoidable" loss. It is accusing Aena of a "monopoly", and although it is not the first time it has done so, the carrier is intensifying its protests this time.

Following the announcement, Jerez city council said Aena "does not have the capacity to reduce taxes". "It is not good news that Ryanair is cancelling its operations at Jerez Airport next summer and it would be necessary to analyse this case with Aena and at the same time continue working, as has been the case up to now, to recover other routes," the council said in a statement.

Aena described Ryanair's claims as "spurious" and pointed out that the demands of the airline, which wants a reduction in airport taxes, could be against the law. "Aena regrets that Ryanair uses spurious arguments that do not correspond to the reality of airport rates in Spain to confuse the public and shamelessly put pressure on national and regional public institutions," a statement from Aena said.

The average fare airlines will pay to Aena from 1 March will be 10.35 euros per passenger, "the lowest in Europe", the operator pointed out, and said that Ryanair increased its activity by 8.75% in 2024 with the same rate.

The operator also pointed out that data for the summer 2025 season shows Ryanair’s overall seat capacity in Spain is set to grow compared to last summer, despite reductions at some regional airports. The carrier's chief executive, Eddie Wilson, pointed out an increase of 1.5 million seats for next summer, despite cutting its offer at smaller airports by 18%.

Aena pointed out that regional airports have access to commercial incentives that can reduce rates to approximately two euros per passenger. The operator also claimed that Ryanair’s decision to reduce operations in regional areas while growing at larger tourist airports demonstrates a commercial choice, not a response to airport fees.