The ongoing dispute between the Spanish airport operator,Aena and Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has intensified in latest weeks. Ryanair argues that ‘extreme’ charges have pressured it to chop 2 tens of millions seats on flights to Spain and to already threaten one other 1 million seat discount subsequent summer season.
The Aena chief, Maurici Lucena instantly accused the Rynair chief government O Leary of ‘mendacity repeatedly’ and deflecting from the actual causes behind the cuts.
Last 12 months Ryanair was slammed with a €179 Million high quality by the Spanish Consumer Affairs Ministry for “abusive practices.”
‘What actually bothers me is that they’re not telling the reality,’ Lucena stated. ‘It has nothing to do with Aena’s charges. The motive they lie is that they don’t wish to face the political and reputational price of abandoning some regional airports, and in some circumstances even inflicting job losses once they shut down a base. That’s the actual underlying problem.’
According to Lucena, Ryanair’s precise technique is to redeploy plane to extra worthwhile routes exterior Spain — the place it might probably cost greater fares and sometimes safe state subsidies.
Lucena additionally downplayed the significance of the 6.5% charge improve that O’Leary has attacked, noting that it quantities on common to simply €0.68 per passenger, although the quantity varies relying on the airport.
Ryanair stays Spain’s largest airline by passenger quantity, with the nation rating as its second-biggest market after Italy by income. Yet O’Leary informed the FT final week that some regional prices have been ‘too excessive’, insisting the airline was ‘higher off flying on the identical price to locations reminiscent of Palma [on the island of Mallorca] than flying to Jerez’.
O’Leary stated in his personal interview with the FT: ‘I plan to return to Madrid in two weeks and can in all probability announce one other million seats being minimize subsequent summer season.’
Lucena argued that Ryanair’s push to maximise income is being sharpened by delays to new Boeing plane deliveries, which disrupted its progress plans earlier this 12 months. The airline now expects many of the jets by autumn, with the rest arriving early within the new 12 months – nonetheless forward of subsequent summer season’s peak season.
For the approaching winter, Ryanair has introduced it would droop flights from a number of Spanish airports, together with Santiago de Compostela, the place it carried 42% of passengers within the first eight months of the 12 months. Cuts are additionally deliberate at Vigo, Jerez and Tenerife, the place its footprint is smaller.
‘When you cancel a route from an airport, particularly if it’s a small airport, it doesn’t look good within the eyes of the general public as a result of persons are used to having the ability to take that Ryanair flight,’ Lucena stated.
Despite the cuts, Ryanair’s total Spanish visitors has risen, climbing 5.1% year-on-year to 47.2m passengers from January to August, pushed by bigger airports reminiscent of Málaga and Palma de Mallorca.
Lucena, a former PSOE (socialist) politician, careworn that Aena is legally certain to maintain smaller airports open, dismissing any suggestion of closures. He additionally famous that carriers reminiscent of Vueling, Binter, easyJet and Volotea are shifting to soak up Ryanair’s vacated slots. ‘The airways will fill these gaps over the approaching months, however it takes time,’ he stated.
