Low Cost & Regional

Ryanair cuts 1m seats from Spanish routes

photo_camera (File photo)

Europe’s largest LCC is to cut flights equivalent to one million seats from it’s winter schedule.

The carrier has been involved in a long-running spat with Spanish authorities over landing fees. It previously axed flights from the summer schedule, equivalent to roughly 800,000 seats.

The public entity that operates Spain’s airports. Earlier in the year AENA, the public body that operates Spain’s airports, announced it was going to increase fees at all runways, including all smaller regional airports.

READ: Spanish regional airports in ‘terminal decline’ says Ryanair CEO

“The decision by AENA and its shareholders (including the Spanish Government) to increase already uncompetitive airport charges by 6.62 per cent next year is the latest evidence that the monopolistic airport operator has no interest in developing traffic at Spain’s regional airports, and simply wants to focus on making record profits from the country’s main airports,” Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair DAC, the main operating airline of the group, said in a press release.

While Ryanair is cutting routes, rivals are moving in to take the vacant airport slots. A report in Euro News notes that Barcelona-based LCC Vuelling has increased it’s capacity by 15% while regionals such as Binter, Iberia Express and Volotea have also increased operations in the country.

 

 

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