Ryanair announced that it will reduce its Summer 2026 schedule to regional Spanish airports by 1.2 million seats (-10%). Ryanair will also stop all flights to/from Asturias Airport. The airline blamed the Spanish airport operator, Aena, which it has accused of uncompetitive airport fees at Spanish regional airports.
The airline said in a statement: "these regrettable cuts follow Ryanair’s one million seat cuts to Regional Spain for Winter 2025, and are a direct result of the Spanish government´s failure to stop Aena’s monopoly fee increases, particularly at under-used Regional airports, and its failure to reverse Minister Pablo Bustinduy’s illegal bag fines, despite promising to do so. While Minister Bustinduy continues to illegally interfere in the pricing of low-fare airlines (in breach of European law), he refuses to take any action against overcharging by a number of Spanish OTAs (online travel agencies) who continue to overcharge and harm unsuspecting Spanish consumers."
Ryanair Group CEO Michael O´Leary said: “AENA and its major shareholder, the Spanish Government continue to harm regional traffic growth, tourism and jobs in Spain through high airport fees and unjustified price increases.
"AENA should be lowering airport fees at underused Regional airports, but instead they plan to increase them by 7 percent, the highest fee increase for over a decade. The Spanish Government has failed to stimulate Regional tourism and jobs, as it continues to protect the Aena Monopoly’s high fee operations. We regret that these fee increases make Regional Spanish airports uncompetitive, and this is why Ryanair is switching 1.2m more seats away from Regional airports in Spain in summer 2026, to some of Spain’s bigger airports, but mainly to lower-cost competitor airports in Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Sweden, and Hungary.
"Ryanair remains one of Spain’s biggest overseas investors, and we continue to invest heavily in Spain, with 2 new Maintenance Facilities in Madrid and Seville. We will shortly open our new Airline Training Centre in Madrid.
"While we wish to continue to grow air traffic and connectivity to Regional Spain, we are prevented from doing so by the Aena’s Monopoly high airport fees and the failure of Prime Minister Sanchez and his Govt, to restrain this overcharging Airport Monopoly, which they own and control. We look forward to returning to Growth in Regional Spain, when Aena fees are reduced, making them competitive with lower-cost airports elsewhere in Morocco, Italy, Croatia, Hungary and other EU States, who are abolishing Aviation Taxes and lowering airport fees to grow their traffic and tourism industries.”