Ryanair has confirmed that it will cut its passenger capacity in Spain by one million seats for the winter season in response to a six point five percent fee increase announced by the airport operator Aena. The airline described the fee hike as ‘shameless’, stating that it renders many regional routes unviable and could lead to the closure of Valladolid and Jerez airports, which are heavily reliant on Ryanair flights.

Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair DAC, expressed concerns that Aena is more focused on securing record profits from major airports rather than developing traffic at regional airports. The low-cost carrier plans to reduce capacity in regional airports by six hundred thousand seats and by four hundred thousand in the Canary Islands between late October and late March, affecting sixteen percent of its traffic.

In response to the situation, Aena’s CEO Maurici Lucena accused Ryanair of self-righteousness and claimed that the airline’s booked slots at regional airports have a higher capacity than reported. Aena maintains that its fee increase is justified by solid microeconomic principles and is significantly smaller than fare increases imposed by Ryanair on its tickets.

Furthermore, Spain’s Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz has announced plans to request a meeting with Ryanair’s chairman to enforce labour laws amid the escalating dispute. Despite the cuts in Spain, Ryanair aims to increase overall passenger numbers by at least three percent in the year ending March thirty-first, twenty twenty-six, with plans to shift part of its capacity to budget-friendly airports in Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, and Sweden.