The budget airline will officially announce plans to cut nearly one million seats in Spain next week
Ryanair will officially announce plans to cut flights in Spain at a press conference next week (Image: PA)
Popular Spanish holiday hotspots Majorca and the Canary Islands have reacted to the news that Ryanair plans to cut nearly one million seats across Spain’s regional airports.
Both destinations depend on tourism and the budget airline’s intentions have ‘sparked concern’ in the Canary Islands.
Ryanair is expected to officially announce the cuts at a press conference in Madrid next Wednesday, according to Spanish news site Europa Press.
The decision is in response to increased airport charges recently announced by Spanish airport operator Aena. The airline will announce the affected airports and the exact number of seats at the press conference.
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Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson warned that the cuts would be “quite severe” and “very drastic”. He explained that Aena’s prices were not competitive enough unlike those elsewhere in Europe.
The news has ‘sparked concern’ in the Canary Islands(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
The airline has already made reductions to other Spanish operations this summer. It ceased operations in Jerez and Valladolid, withdrew aircraft based in Santiago, and reduced traffic at five other regional airports: Vigo, Santiago, Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander.
But he told Europa Press that the airline is “going to invest where we can get a return.” This is potentially good news for destinations like the Canaries and the Balearic Islands which already see strong demand.
Reporting the news, Canarian Weekly said it had “sparked concern” but added that the airline intends to “continue growth in major airports including Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, and those in the Balearics and Canary Islands.”
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It added: “For residents and tourists in the Canary Islands, the immediate impact is less severe than in mainland Spain. Ryanair continues to grow at the main airports in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.”
Similarly Majorca Daily Bulletin emphasised Ryanair’s plans to “keep backing big hubs where demand is strong” such as the Balearics.
But for the areas of Spain which are affected by Ryanair’s cuts, the CEO warned that they are set to receive “fewer passengers, fewer jobs, fewer connections, and fewer opportunities for tourism”.
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