Ryanair hits back at claims it's 'lying' about reason for cancelling Spain flights

Ryanair has been accused of 'lying' about the reason why it cut flights to Spain.

In late August, the budget airline revealed plans todrastically reduce its capacityon 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!”

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In an interview with the Financial Times, Maurici Lucena, chair and chief executive of Aena, accused the budget airline boss of “lying continuously”.

“What really bothers me is that they’re not telling the truth. It has nothing to do with Aena’s fees. The reason they lie is that they don’t want to face the political and reputational cost of abandoning some regional airports, and in some cases even causing job losses when they shut down a base. That’s the real underlying issue," Mr Lucena told the publication.

The airport boss argued that Aena's proposed 6.5% fee increase averages out at €0.68 per passenger. He assured members of the public that Aena would not be closing any of its smaller regional airports, particularly as it is required by law to keep them operating.

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.

The cuts are part of Ryanair's plan to reduce its capacity by 41% in the Spanish regions and by 10% in the Canary Islands this winter. Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair, warned that this would lead to "a loss of investment, connectivity, tourism, and employment in regional Spain, as many routes will be economically unviable."

All flights to Vigo will stop in January next year, and to Tenerife North from the start of the Winter 2025 season. Capacity to Zaragoza will be slashed by 45%, Santander by 38%, Asturias 16% and Vitoria by 2%. When culling is over, Ryanair will have scrapped 36 routes to and from Spain.

At the same time, Ryanair is planning to introduce two million more seats on routes to Italy, Morocco, Croatia and Albania.

This is not the first time that Mr O'Leary has aimed barbed words at those working in the aviation sector. The airline has cancelled flights in France following a dispute over fees, while Mr O'Leary has repeatedly called for the UK's air traffic control chief to be sacked.