The war of words between Ryanair and Spain – and why holidaymakers could suffer

Low-cost flights to and from Spanish airports could be few and far between this summer. As part of an ongoing battle with the country’s aviation officials, Ryanair has pulled thousands of seats from its 2025 schedule. It means that travellers looking to visit Spain – the most popular holiday option for Britons – could struggle to find budget options.

The move, according to the airline, is a response to “excessive” fees imposed by Spanish airport operator Aena. The operator has in turn accused Ryanair of “blackmail”, alleging that the airline is attempting to force free access to its airports.

In a statement, the president of Aena said: “Unfortunately, this is Ryanair’s modus operandi. In many European countries, we have seen it for years: threats, half-truths, lies… I honestly believe that they have crossed the Rubicon of respect, good faith and the most basic business and institutional courtesy.”

In response, Ryanair has said that “Aena’s excessive airport charges… continue to harm Spain’s regional airports, limiting their growth and leaving huge areas of airport capacity unused.”

The airline’s move comes after crackdowns by the Spanish government on what it called “abusive practices”, such as levying excessive bag fees and ancillary charges. Ryanair was hit with a €107.8 million (£90 million) fine by Spain’s consumer rights ministry last year, prompting CEO Michael O’Leary to call a Spanish official, Pablo Bustinduy, a “crazy communist minister”. O’Leary, quoted by the Efe news agency, added: “He believes passengers can carry all the luggage they want. And no, they cannot.”

According to Aena, the fees at most Spanish airports average around €10.35 (£8.60) per passenger. In October, this was dropped to €2 (£1.66) per passenger at 17 regional airports, to incentivise airlines to fly there. Aena says that these are the cheapest in Europe.

Ryanair disagrees. “Aena’s claim that its rates are ‘among the lowest in Europe’ is false,” a Ryanair spokesperson said, pointing to operators in Italy and Poland as cheaper examples.

The spat has now led to the removal of some 800,000 seats from the Spanish market, equating to around 18 per cent of the airline’s operations in the country. Jerez, in the south of the country, and Valladolid, in the north, will see their Ryanair connections entirely cut. At the latter, only one airline will remain: Binter Canarias, which offers a twice-weekly service to Gran Canaria.

Most airports will still see some, albeit reduced, Ryanair activity. At Vigo, 61 per cent of flights will be removed; Santiago will see a 28 per cent reduction; Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander will also see fewer flights.

Aena shows little sign of backing down. In a strongly-worded statement, a spokesperson said: “Aena cordially urges Ryanair to calm down and abandon its long-standing and regrettably well-known mendacious, aggressive and threatening business and communication strategy, which it is very difficult not to interpret as an attempt to blackmail Aena, the region and, ultimately, the Spanish public.”

Could tourists be affected?

It is mainly regional Spanish airports that are being impacted by the cuts.

However, it is currently unclear exactly which routes Ryanair intends to reduce. While we know that Vigo, Santiago, Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander airports will be operating at a lower level, whether flights from the UK will be slashed is not yet known.

Currently, the airline flies to Santander from Manchester, Edinburgh and London Stansted. Travellers can also fly to Santiago and Vigo from Stansted. Whether or not those routes will be affected remains to be seen.

The most popular routes for British tourists – to Alicante, Barcelona, the Canary Islands and the Balearics – are currently unchanged.

“Many of the airports affected will be unfamiliar to UK travellers,” concurs Rhys Jones, aviation editor at frequent flyer website Head for Points. “However, anyone relying on these routes, either because they are trying to get off the beaten track or to avoid overtourism in Spain, is likely to be disappointed.”

Will it impact flight prices?

According to aviation experts, flight prices are likely to increase.

“Ryanair’s decision to cut flights will no doubt lead to a rise in fares as competition decreases”, says Rhys Jones. The move “may force customers who could previously fly direct to swap onto more expensive and more convoluted connecting itineraries via major cities, thus putting further strain on these remaining routes.”

This comes as the cost of flying has increased more generally over the past few years. In 2024, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that airfares had increased 16 per cent compared to 2019; the Airports Council International has said that figure is closer to 38 per cent.

Nick Trend, The Telegraph’s consumer expert, has noted an eye-watering 50-300 per cent increase in some flight prices to popular destinations, especially during the school holidays. Flights from London Gatwick to Malaga during the May half term, for example, cost £432 with EasyJet or £923 with BA. The following week, the cheapest fare drops to £160.

Currently, flights from Manchester to Santander are priced at £97 with Ryanair on May 1-8, rising to £192 on August 10-17 (both on the most basic ticket). Over the same dates, the prices are £51 and £179 respectively if flying from Stansted. Currently, Ryanair is the only operator flying from the UK to the Spanish city, meaning its cancellation would severely limit access.

John Grant, executive vice president at aviation analytics company Official Aviation Guide of the Airways (OAG), has warned that this is crucial when it comes to ticket price. “There is little scope for anyone replacing Ryanair,” he says, “and that may lead to a shortage of capacity, which in time will result in higher airfares.”

“With literally hundreds of aircraft, Ryanair can move at short notice and will make sure they maximise revenues and profits. My advice is to book if you can before fares rise.”

The issues in Spain are only a small part of the problem when it comes to high ticket prices, however. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation has meant higher costs at every part of the supply chain.

The biggest factor, however, is high demand combined with a shortage of flights. There has been a backlog in delivering new planes, meaning many airlines, including Ryanair, are unable to operate at full capacity.

While this has led more generally to higher ticket prices, experts say that airport fees – like the type Ryanair and Aena are arguing about – are yet to be reflected in the cost paid by passengers. Instead, they are currently being absorbed by the airlines, meaning there is scope for fares to rise even higher.