Ryanair Cuts 1.2 Million Seats for Summer 2026 Season in Spain Due to Aena Fee Hikes
Ryanair announced this Wednesday a 10% cut in its summer 2026 schedule for regional Spain, resulting in the elimination of 1.2 million seats. The measure includes the complete closure of its operations at Asturias Airport, a decision the company attributes to the “Aena monopoly and its uncompetitive fees.”
This adjustment comes on top of a one million seat reduction for the winter 2025 season and reflects, according to the airline, the Spanish Government’s inability to curb Aena’s tariff increases and to revoke the hand luggage fines imposed by the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Pablo Bustinduy.
Criticism of Aena and Spanish Government
Ryanair directly points to the Spanish Government, the majority shareholder of Aena, for not acting against what it considers monopolistic and uncompetitive management. According to the company, Aena applies a pricing system that equates the fees of small, low-traffic airports with those of major hubs like Madrid, Barcelona, Palma, or Malaga, which “strangles regional growth.”
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, was blunt: “Aena and its main shareholder, the Spanish Government, continue to harm regional traffic, tourism, and employment with high fees and unjustified increases. They plan to raise them by 7%, the largest increase in over a decade.”
As a result, Ryanair is moving part of its capacity to larger airports within Spain, and especially to other countries like Morocco, Italy, Croatia, Sweden, and Hungary, where authorities are reducing fees and taxes to encourage tourism.
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Two Growth Plans Ignored
The Irish airline states that it presented two expansion plans to Aena and the Spanish Government, which would have boosted air traffic by 40% by 2030, reaching 77 million annual passengers. However, these proposals were dismissed, which Ryanair interprets as “a missed opportunity to create jobs and increase regional connectivity.”
Controversy Over Hand Luggage Fines
Another point of conflict between Ryanair and the Spanish executive is the hand luggage fines that Minister Bustinduy has imposed on low-cost airlines. The company describes these sanctions as “illegal,” arguing that they violate EU Regulations and the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (Vueling case, 2014), which recognizes the freedom of airlines to set their prices as long as they allow passengers to carry a small personal bag free of charge.
“President Sanchez has done nothing in two years despite promising to revoke these fines. If he respects European legislation, he should dismiss Minister Bustinduy and cancel these illegal sanctions,” O’Leary added.
Ryanair claims to have sent eight letters to the minister between April 2024 and October 2025, without receiving a response.
Continued Investment, But Stalled Growth
Despite the tensions, Ryanair emphasizes that it remains one of the largest foreign investors in Spain. The airline maintains new maintenance facilities in Madrid and Seville, and will soon inaugurate an airline training center in the capital.
However, it warns that its growth in the country is “blocked” by high airport fees and the Government’s lack of action in the face of Aena’s monopoly.
“We hope to be able to grow again in the Spanish regions when fees are reduced and become competitive with those in countries that do bet on aviation and tourism,” the CEO concluded.
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