Ryanair is set to cut more flights to a popular Spanish destination due to “neglect” from the country’s airport operator.
Flights from Girona airport in the Costa Brava region will decline this summer for the first time since the pre-Covid period.
Capacity at Girona is set to reduce by 11 per cent this summer season, which runs from March to the end of October.
The budget Irish airline will now offer 34 routes to 13 countries from Girona, including a new connection to Bucharest.
The aviation hub is often used as an alternative connection for travel to Barcelona.
Aena has increased airport fees by 10 per cent since 2024, said Ryanair.
The airline said an Aena proposal to increase fees by 21 per cent by 2031 will “further damage air connectivity, tourism, and employment across Spain”.
In 2024, Ryanair presented President Sánchez with plans for a fifth aircraft based in Girona and growth of 42 per cent.
Ryanair urged the CNMC and the Ministry of Transport to reject Aena’s price increases to attract growth for airlines across the country.
The carrier claims it is “willing to expand in Girona” provided costs are lower and more competitive.
Alejandra Ruiz, Ryanair’s spokesperson in Spain, said: “While Ryanair also aims to grow at Catalan regional airports, Aena’s flawed airport charges system is hindering Reus’s potential for off-season growth and impacting Girona’s capacity, which will decrease this summer for the first time since the pre-Covid period.
“Ryanair had ambitious growth plans for Catalonia’s regional airports, where it could have based a fifth aircraft in Girona, a new base in Reus, and achieved unprecedented growth at both airports under competitive conditions that would benefit all airlines. However, we are still awaiting a response from the Spanish government, which has no plan to fix a system that continues to line Aena’s pockets while draining regional airports.”
The airline has already axed more than 1.2 million seats from its Spanish flight schedule as it continues to battle regional airport fees.
Read more: Ryanair announces new routes for summer 2026 after slashing winter schedule
