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Ryanair will stop offering 800,000 places This summer of 2025 in Spain. It was an announcement that fell like a bomb in the middle of the dispute that government and airline have open in relation to the rates that Aena charges the companies that operate in their airports.
According to Ryanair, Las Aena rates They are abusive and from the company that manages Spanish airports they defend themselves ensuring that they are essential to guarantee, among other services, the security or cleaning of the facilities.
The problem is that Aena had these frozen rates from 2021 and thus had to remain until 2026. However, last year they rose and although The CNMC frozen the rate againnow companies pay 4.9% more than before.
In the middle of the dispute, Ryanair was also fined by the State for breaching, in his opinion, the regulations of the hand luggage. Together with other low-cost companies such as Vueling, Norweigan, Easyjet or Volotea, the Irish company was punished but it was also the one that took the worst part: a sanction of 107.78 million euros.
This cluster of circumstances led the company to press where it hurts the most in Spanish air mobility: Provinces airports. Ryanair announced that he partially abandoned the airports of Vigo, Santiago, Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander. But, above all, he announced that he was completely left by Jerez and Valladolid.
The movement has not been there because In its February statementRyanair already announced that he considered taking action in the same direction if the context did not change. A threat that has recently reiterated.
However, then Eddie Wilson, his CEO, already pointed out that “Aena’s decision not to encourage airlines to use the missed capacity of their regional airports has forced Ryanair to relocate aircraft and capacity in more competitive European markets, such as Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary and Morocco, where governments encourage actively growth. “
Now we check the consequences.
Empty seats
“Ryanair’s airplanes They will attend where there is business opportunity, whether by direct market or by public subsidy. “This is how Víctor P. currás summarizes in The Faro de Vigo The situation with which they have been found in the Galician city with the 61% reduction of the activity of the Irish company in its city.
When Wilson pointed out that they would fly to countries “where governments incentive” did not lie. Ryanair has closed a line between Vigo and Barcelona that maintained an average occupation of 90% in favor of a New route to Morocco where just 9% of the seats are busy.
These flights are those corresponding to the route that Ryanair has opened with origin in Madrid or Lanzarote and destination Daklha, a Moroccan city in the Sahara that is trying to promote itself as an active tourism. It is another measure within a project you want Transform the city into an economic complex reference in the area. The intention is to turn the city into a showcase for the world during the 2030 World Cup (What Morocco shares with Spain).
This is the reason why Ryanair flies with such a low occupation to the Moroccan city. Fatim-Zahra Ammor, Minister of Tourism of Morocco, announced the arrival of the company A few months ago. Behind, obviously, a juicy subsidy in the form of an advertising contract for Ryanair.
They collect in the Galician environment that the occupation rate has been poor. The best data has arrived from Madrid with just over 50% occupation. However, the reserved places have been deflating on the Route of Lanzarote to the point of not even reaching 10% of the total offer.
This way of acting is nothing less new. In fact, in eldiario.es They explained well that the subsidies camouflaged as advertising contracts to keep the routes in provincial airports alive are a constant for years. By suppuerto, Ryanair has benefited in this way to act.
Three examples. The Cantabria government delivered 18 million euros in public promotion to Ryanair. Vigo maintained a route with London in exchange for a disbursement of 625,000 euros in the form of an advertising contract. With the suppression of this connection, Vigo wants sanction the airline with more than 17,000 euros for breaking the contract unilaterally. In 2019, Ryanair maintained routes in Spain by value of 239 million euros of public moneyaccording to ELECONOMIST.
Ryanair now applies in Morocco the same formula he has applied in Spain. The company has used Spanish airports in the provinces to press and, aware that New aircraft will not reach them In the short term, these advertising contracts are especially juicy when reorganizing their routes.
Photo | Nastya Dulhiier
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