RYANAIR has called on Spain’s Ministry of Transport and the CNMC competition watchdog to block proposed airport tax hikes totalling 21% over the next five years.
The Irish company has threatened more cuts to regional airport services and described airport operator Aena’s proposal as ‘excessive’- accusing it of profiteering at the expense of Spain’s economy, tourism, and connectivity.
Ryanair CEO, Eddie Wilson, said: “Next winter we will make further cuts to regional airport services and I remind you that our total traffic in Spain for this summer will only grow by 0.5% compared to 9% in Italy, 11% in Morocco or 20% in Poland.”
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“Aena’s proposal to increase fares by 21% is regrettable, but not surprising, as this airport monopoly has a history of applying the highest fares at the expense of traffic development, especially at Spain’s regional airports, which are 70% empty,” stated Wilson.
“Aena’s excessive proposal is the result of a fictitious consultation process during which airlines have spent the last four months providing detailed information, only for Aena to ignore these contributions in their entirety and announce that it would maintain the same ridiculous investment proposal of €13 billion that it announced last September- even before the ‘consultation’ began, he added.
His comments are the latest blast in an ongoing war between the Iow cost airline and Spanish authorities, which saw the company pull out or slash services last year at ‘unprofitable’ regional airports.
Eddie Wilson continued: “If approved, Aena’s latest proposal would be a major turning point for Spanish tourism, as the excessive increase in fees by 21% will make even the most popular airports in Spain uncompetitive.”
“Ryanair is the only airline in Europe that has 300 aircraft on order for the next decade and can generate significant growth, but with this proposal, these aircraft will simply go to other places in Europe where rates are more competitive,” he warned.
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