Low-cost airlines such as Volotea, Wizz Air, and Iberia Express have reaffirmed their commitment to Spain this Thursday after Ryanair's announcement that it will eliminate one million seats in medium-sized airports because it considers the fees charged by the airport manager Aena to be high.
The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has defended in Congress that Ryanair will remain in Spain and will even increase seats, because it makes money in this market, and has criticized that the Irish airline intends to "blackmail" the Government. The PP has asked him to appear in the Senate to explain Ryanair's decision.
The Irish airline announced the day before a cut of one million seats in Spanish regional airports, the closure of its base in Santiago de Compostela, and the suspension of flights to Vigo and Tenerife Norte from January 1 because it believes that Aena's rates (which will increase by 0.68 euros per passenger, up to 11.03 euros from March) are "excessive and uncompetitive".
Iberia Express will add 30,000 seats in the Canary Islands
After Wednesday's announcement by Ryanair, which includes a reduction of 400,000 seats in the case of the Canary Islands, Iberia Express announced this Thursday that it has scheduled 116 additional flights for the winter season on its routes with the islands, with 30,000 more seats and 153 changes to larger aircraft.
Iberia Express insists that it is thus committed to "a regular and stable operation that favors responsible and sustainable tourism in the islands".
Iberia's subsidiary highlights the increase in capacity in Tenerife Norte (one of those affected by Ryanair's reduction), with 15,000 additional seats and eight daily frequencies with Madrid.
It will also increase 8,300 seats in Gran Canaria, and in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and La Palma with 4,500 additional seats in total.
Volotea interested in expanding in airports in which it already operates
Sources from Volotea have explained to EFE that the airline based in Asturias - which flies mainly to medium-sized European cities - is open to exploring new opportunities on the routes that Ryanair will leave, provided that it fits into its business model, focused on southern Europe and airports in which it already operates.
Among the destinations that the Irish airline pointed out this Wednesday as affected by its reduction in seats, Volotea explains that it does not provide service in Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Tenerife Norte, and Valladolid.
It does, however, offer routes from Santander, Zaragoza, and the Canary Islands, and will continue to analyze growth opportunities in the future. In fact, it adds, in December it will inaugurate a new Santander-Granada connection.
In Asturias, its main base of operations in Spain, they will continue to increase capacity and add new routes, such as the one that will open on October 31 with Madrid.
In 2025, the airline will offer 3.6 million seats in Spain, 10% more compared to 2024 and 149% more than in 2019, before the pandemic.
Wizz Air will open 40 routes in Spain
The Hungarian Wizz Air also announced this Thursday that it continues to expand its capacity in Spain, with 40 new routes this winter season (until March 2026) from 16 airports and 10 million seats in the year.
It is also continuing to strengthen its presence in the Canary Islands, where it currently operates from Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura through fifteen routes to ten destinations in five countries.
Until August, it has already transported 6.4 million passengers, 22.4% more than in 2024, on 29,000 flights, 17.5% more year-on-year.
Puente says that Ryanair will continue in Spain because it makes money
The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, stated this Thursday that Ryanair will continue to come to Spain and will continue to increase the number of travelers, "because it suits them and they make money", but they will not do so with "blackmail or extortion" to the Government.
He pointed out in Congress that the fees have been frozen for years and for this 2026 they will increase by 0.68 cents per passenger, which he understands is a "quite gross fallacy" that the Irish airline says it cannot assume the increase "when it has increased the prices of its tickets this year by 21%".
"Don't be fooled", he asked the members of the commission, to whom he explained that Ryanair "will increase one million seats in Spain next year, as it has increased one million this year, because it does not reduce, what it does is transfer, move from regional airports to others in which the operation is more profitable".
He recalled that the Government of Spain is not the only one with which Ryanair has confronted, which it has also done with those of France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The PP has requested this Thursday the appearance in the Senate of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, to report on the economic impact and the loss of mobility and connectivity for citizens that the flight cut will entail.