THE government-controlled airport operator AENA has slashed airport fees in a bid to boost traffic figures.
The move reverses one made last year which saw it increase taxes across its network by an average 19%.
In Madrid and Barcelona, however, fees swelled almost two-fold leading Ryanair to cut passenger capacity at Madrid to 3.4 million from 5.3 million, and at Barcelona´s El Prat airport from 5.4 million to 4.2 million.
Rival EasyJet ceased to use Madrid Bajaras as a base.
The move resulted in a 22% drop in visitor numbers in August compared to the same time last year, while there was a 7.7% fall in numbers during the first eight months of the year.
The revised fees come into effect on January 1, and will affect new routes and airlines that boost traffic.
Another countries will do the same.
I think that in a enviroment of economic decrement, the solution for to don´t lose money is not reduce prices, is to close some airports.