At the beginning of September, Ryanair confirmed the closure of the Santiago base and the cancellation of all flights to Vigo and Tenerife North. Simultaneously, it was announced that the airline will maintain the closure of its Valladolid and Jerez bases and decrease capacity in Asturias, Santander, Zaragoza, and the Canary Islands this winter.
Ryanair has been accused of ‘lying’ about the reason why it cut flights to Spain.
In late August, the budget airline revealed plans to drastically reduce its capacity on routes to and from Spain, eliminating a million seats in the forthcoming winter season. The company has stated that these extensive cuts are a reaction to Spain’s airport operator Aena’s announcement of a 6.5% increase in passenger fees by 2026.
Now Spain’s airport operator has accused Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary of using it as a scapegoat to avoid incurring passengers’ wrath for cancelling the routes and cutting back flights.
Ryanair has hit back against the allegations, arguing that it chooses locations based on where is cheaper. It also urged Aena to call their bluff by lowering airport fees. A Ryanair spokesperson said: “If we are lying as Lucena claims, then why doesn’t he call our bluff and cut Aena’s high fees at Spain’s empty regional airports? Ryanair always goes where costs are lower and will happily go back to regional Spain when they stop charging Madrid/Barcelona prices. Until then it’s adiós Aena!”
Credits: Ryanair
