Ryanair cuts flights at regional Spanish airports, fueling travel disparity

Friday 18 July 2025 - 15:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Ryanair cuts flights at regional Spanish airports, fueling travel disparity

Ryanair's decision to withdraw from two regional Spanish airports, Jerez and Valladolid, has significantly impacted passenger numbers, exposing a growing divide between Spain's bustling urban travel hubs and its quieter, underserved regions.

Sharp declines in regional passenger numbers

The budget airline's exit from Jerez (Andalusia) and Valladolid (Castilla y León) has triggered steep drops in passenger traffic. In the first half of 2024, Valladolid recorded just 41,725 passengers, down by 56,000 compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Jerez Airport saw a year-on-year decline of 11.6% in passenger numbers between January and June, with only 385,549 travelers passing through its gates.

The losses at these airports are part of a broader strategy by Ryanair, which cut 800,000 seats across Spain earlier this year and canceled 12 routes. Airport operator Aena’s high fees were cited as the primary reason for the airline's pullback from less profitable regional airports.

Regional losses, urban gains

Despite these cuts, Ryanair is expanding operations at major airports in Spain, adding 1.5 million seats this year at hubs like Madrid, Málaga, and Alicante. This shift has further entrenched a disparity in air travel access, with urban centers seeing growth while rural areas face reduced connectivity.

The withdrawal from regional airports contrasts sharply with the Spanish government’s recent campaign to promote inland tourism. Smaller airports like Zaragoza, Spain's fourth-largest city, are left with limited international routes, underscoring the challenges of attracting global visitors to less populated regions.

Ryanair’s dominance and disputes

Ryanair remains Spain's dominant airline, carrying 32.64 million passengers in the first half of 2025, a 6.6% increase compared to the previous year. However, the airline's ongoing feud with Aena over rising airport fees has resulted in reduced services at smaller hubs. Aena plans to implement higher fees to fund multi-billion-euro expansions at Madrid’s Barajas and Barcelona’s El Prat airports, which Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has criticized as unnecessary and wasteful.

The growing divide between Spain's well-connected urban airports and its struggling regional counterparts raises questions about the future of air travel equity in the country.