The budget airline Ryanair and Spanish airport operator Aena are locked in a bitter dispute over airport fees, leading to Ryanair slashing 800,000 seats, equivalent to 18% of its Spanish operations, for Summer 2025. This reduction includes the complete withdrawal of services from Jerez and Valladolid airports and significant capacity cuts in Vigo, Santiago, Zaragoza, Asturias, and Santander. Ryanair justifies these cuts by citing Aena’s “excessive” charges, which it claims hinder growth at regional airports. Aena, however, accuses Ryanair of “blackmail” and a deliberate attempt to secure free airport access, highlighting Ryanair’s continued growth at larger, more expensive Spanish airports.
The conflict escalated following a 2024 incident where the Spanish government fined Ryanair €107.8 million for charging passengers for carry-on luggage, a practice deemed an “abusive practice.” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary publicly criticized the Spanish Consumer Rights Minister, Pablo Bustinduy, further fueling the tension. Bustinduy responded firmly, vowing not to be swayed by pressure or insults from powerful multinational companies, emphasizing the importance of protecting consumer rights. This incident underscores the underlying conflict between Ryanair’s cost-cutting business model and regulatory efforts to protect consumer interests.
The airports most affected by Ryanair’s cuts are Jerez and Valladolid, which will lose all Ryanair services. Valladolid will be left with a single commercial operator, while Jerez will retain services from other airlines like Binter, Air Nostrum, and Vueling. Vigo will experience the largest capacity reduction, losing 61% of its Ryanair flights, and Santiago will lose one based aircraft, resulting in a 28% capacity cut. Ryanair argues that Aena’s lack of incentives for airlines to utilize underused capacity at regional airports has forced these cuts, prompting the reallocation of resources to more competitive European markets.
Aena refutes Ryanair’s claims, stating that average airport fees remain frozen at €10.35 per passenger, the same as in 2024. Furthermore, Aena points to a recently implemented incentive scheme offering a 100% discount on fees for additional passengers above 2023 levels at smaller, underperforming regional airports. This discount, according to Aena, would effectively reduce Ryanair’s per-passenger fee to just €2. Aena dismisses Ryanair’s complaints as a deceptive and aggressive strategy to pressure the airport operator and the Spanish government for free access to regional airports.
The broader context of rising costs in the aviation industry further complicates the situation. While airlines have raised fares significantly to offset increased fuel, staff, and supply costs, airports have faced restrictions on increasing their charges. Industry data suggests that airfares have risen substantially more than airport charges, prompting airports to argue that they are struggling to keep pace with escalating operational costs. Ryanair’s argument also hinges on Aena’s 4.09% fee increase in 2024, despite a government-mandated five-year freeze. Aena argues that this increase was approved by regulatory authorities and totalled a modest €0.40 per passenger.
Despite the cuts to regional airports, Ryanair’s overall operations in Spain are projected to increase by around 5% in 2025. This growth is concentrated at larger, more tourist-heavy airports, where Ryanair pays the full €10.35 per passenger fee. Aena highlights this continued expansion, arguing that it undermines Ryanair’s claims about excessive fees hindering growth. Aena President Maurici Lucena points out that Ryanair’s regional flights have consistently been full, even surpassing capacity at major city airports, suggesting that profitability isn’t the driving factor behind the cuts. Aena ultimately accuses Ryanair of using the fee dispute as a smokescreen for strategically driven route adjustments and applying undue pressure on the Spanish government and the airport operator.
