Ryanair takes on Aena again and cuts its capacity by 11% in Girona

BarcelonaThe tension between Ryanair and Aena remains high after the airport operator moved forward with its plan to raise airport fees. The low-cost airline is one of the most combative. against this measureRyanair has announced it will cut its capacity next summer season at Girona Airport, scheduling 11% fewer seats. This will be the first reduction at the Catalan airport since the start of the pandemic, where the airline, led by Michael O'Leary, carries the most passengers. Despite the decrease in Girona due to Aena's "failed fee system," Ryanair will maintain growth at the other Catalan airports, with 6% more seats in Reus and 2% more in Barcelona. At El Prat Airport, the Irish airline will increase its capacity again after reducing it by 5% during the winter season, when it diverged from the general growth of its competitors and also responded to the fee increase proposed by the airport operator. "Our commitment to Barcelona remains strong and we will continue to grow, albeit at a more moderate pace until the airport expands," said Alejandra Ruiz, the airline's spokesperson in Spain. Although Ryanair leads the market in Spain, at El Prat it ranks as the second airline in terms of passenger traffic, far behind Vueling.

"Ryanair had ambitious growth plans for Catalonia's regional airports, where it could have allocated a fifth aircraft to Girona, a new base in Reus, and unprecedented growth at both airports under competitive and beneficial conditions for all airlines. However, we are still waiting for a response from the Spanish government, which has no plans to fix these regional airports," Ruiz lamented. He also warned that if the company, chaired by Mauricio Lucena, raises its fees again in the coming years, its capacity will "inevitably" migrate to lower-cost European airports, as it has already been doing by redirecting investments to Italy, Sweden, and Poland.

New connections

Despite the reduction in seats in Girona, Ryanair will open a new route this summer to Bucharest. This will bring its total to 34 connections to 13 countries, with 160 weekly flights. In Barcelona, ​​it will also launch a new daily route to Bratislava, bringing its total to 62 routes and 590 weekly frequencies. The additional flights will be added to existing routes such as Manchester, Porto, and Milan. Finally, at Reus Airport, the airline will not open any new routes and will maintain its current 12 routes to five countries, with a capacity of 70 weekly flights.