A dead king, a king. This saying perfectly summarizes what is happening in the airports of northern Spain after Ryanair’s decision to cut its presence in regional airports. after his scuffle with AENA for airport taxes.
The most affected airports Due to the cutback in Ryanair’s operations in Spain, they are concentrated in Galicia (-80%), Asturias (-16%), Cantabria (-38%) and the Basque Country, where the Irish company had built a very relevant position in low-cost flights and now leaves a gap that conditions the connectivity of residents and tourists. However, other airlines They are taking advantage of Ryanair’s withdrawal to occupy their space with more flight offers and new routes.
Fewer places, but more routes. The Cantabrian coast is one of the main areas affected by these Ryanair cuts. According to data of RTVEthe balance of the 41% cut in the peninsular airports represents 600,000 fewer seats (spaces are eliminated in some, but they are increased in the most profitable airports), but the company has eliminated bases and routes in various parts of the country, with a special impact on the airports of Asturias, Santander, Vigo and, especially in Santiago, which is facing the final stretch of its works.
The result of this movement has been an adjustment in the capacity and repertoire of airlines: Vueling, Iberia Express, Volotea and others have expanded their seats at these airports and have created new routes to take advantage of the freed demand.
Vueling, for example, raises an increase of 15% in its offer of places for Santiago de Compostela. According what was published by The Economistthe IAG group would also have announced new routes from the Irish Aer Lingus that connect Santiago and Cork, as well as Dublin and Asturias, while KLM will link Amsterdam with Galicia and Asturias.
Volotea takes over in Bilbao. While Ryanair reduces its presence in the Basque Country, Volotea has announced the increase in its activity in the north of the peninsula, with Bilbao as one of the main axes. The company foresees by 2026 “a 10% increase in its capacity from Bilbao by 2026 —which also represents a growth of 320% compared to 2018, the year the base was inaugurated—, approaching the 730,000 seats offered and reinforcing its commitment to the region.”
This will be Volotea’s largest seat offering at this airport since the beginning of its operations. This move makes the airline one of the main actors called to occupy the space left by Ryanair in the north. It will also expand its operations at the Santander airport, where it will not only consolidate its current routes, but also plan to open new international connections to Cantabria.
A market in recomposition. The gap left by the Ryanair cut has activated a response from other airlinesbut the previous volume of operations has not yet been reached in all airports, showing an asymmetric recovery.
While airports such as Vigo or Santiago are still far from achieving this recovery of seats, others such as Bilbao or Santander register a positive balance with an increase in operations of 10% and 1.4% thanks to the strengthening of the position of Ryanair’s rivals at those airports. That is, the withdrawal of Ryanair has meant that its rivals have recovered in just a few months 41% of the share that the Irish airline previously had, which will increase throughout 2026.
Less negotiating pressure for Ryanair. The political dimension of the conflict also influences the recomposition of the market. Faced with this new scenario, institutions and regional administrations are seeking agreements with new airlines to sustain key routes and avoid a further deterioration in connectivity, while the market moves towards greater diversification of operators.
The increase in weight of other operators on the airport board of these airports takes away the strength of the pressure strategy of the Irish company, which could use its withdrawal as a measure to obtain better conditions at other airports compared to AENA.
Image | Ryanair, Volotea
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