Ryanair to cut one million more passenger seats in Spain next winter

Irish budget airline Ryanair plans to cut the number of flights to and from regional airports in Spain in reaction to a fee increase by state-controlled airport operator Aena, Europa Press reported on Wednesday, citing senior executive Eddie Wilson.

The airline will officially announce next Wednesday a reduction of its capacity to and from regional airports by about one million passenger seats during the coming winter, said Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair DAC, the largest of five subsidiary airlines operated by the Ryanair Group, according to Europa Press.

Ryanair, the largest airline in Spain in terms of passengers, had already announced in January a reduction of 800,000 passenger seats in regional airports in the country during the summer season.

Aena, which has approved a 6.5% increase in fees next year for airlines to partly fund the expansion of the main airports in Madrid and Barcelona, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.