Ryanair has announced this Thursday the elimination of 12 routes and the reduction of 800,000 seats for its summer schedule 2025, with the closure of its operations at the airports of Jerez (Cadiz) and Valladolid, in addition to significant cuts at airports such as Vigo (-61%), Santiago (-28%), Zaragoza (-20%), Asturias (-11%) and Santander (-5%). The airline attributes these adjustments to the “excessive fees” applied by Aena and the lack of effective incentives.
At a press conference, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson criticized Aena’s measures as “ineffective” and particularly detrimental to regional airports, limiting their growth and wasting their capacity. According to Wilson, “these airports have the necessary infrastructure, but do not have adequate pricing to encourage their use”.
Reduction at regional airports
Ryanair will reduce its capacity at Spanish regional airports by 18%, transferring part of its activity to other European countries such as Sweden, Croatia, Hungary and Morocco, where it considers conditions to be more competitive. However, the airline will continue to grow at other Spanish airports such as Malaga, Alicante and Reus, where it expects a net increase of 1.5 million seats.
Aena’s response
Airport operator Aena has responded to the criticism by describing Ryanair’s arguments as “spurious” and accusing the airline of “shamelessly pressuring” institutions to achieve reductions in airport charges. According to Aena, the average fees to be paid by airlines in 2025 will be 10.35 euros per passenger, “the lowest in Europe”, and regional airports have commercial incentives that reduce fees to less than 2 euros per passenger. In addition, Aena has recalled that Ryanair increased its activity by 8.75% in 2024 with the same average fare and that growth at regional airports is possible, as demonstrated by other airlines operating at these facilities. It has also warned that Ryanair’s demands could contravene Law 18/2014 and even be considered State aid at the European level.
Controversy over Consumer Affairs fine
During the same press conference, Eddie Wilson called the 107 million euro fine imposed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Ryanair and other airlines for charging for cabin luggage “stupid”. Wilson argued that forcing airlines to allow free baggage could make tickets more expensive and that planes do not have the capacity to carry one suitcase per passenger.
