Airlines Step Up to Fill Void as Ryanair Cuts Spanish Routes
Madrid, Spain – Several airlines are expanding their Spanish operations in response to significant route and seat reductions by Ryanair, though a full replacement of the Irish carrier’s withdrawn services, particularly at regional airports, remains uncertain.The move by Ryanair stems from a dispute with Spanish airport operator Aena over what the airline deems “excessive” airport fees, slated to increase further next year.
Canary Islands airports are seeing notable increases in capacity. Binter Canarias is adding 10 daily flights, increasing seat availability by 850 from Tenerife South and 4,500 across Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and La Palma. Promotional fares for residents are available, with flights to Madrid starting at €13.
Hungarian airline Wizz Air is bolstering its presence with nearly 40 new routes planned between March 2025 and March 2026 from 16 Spanish airports, including connections to London Luton, Poland, and Macedonia.wizz Air currently operates 15 routes to 10 destinations from the Canary Islands, offering over one million seats in 2025 and having carried 3.5 million passengers from the islands since launching operations,including 600,000 in the last year.
Volotea is also considering routes previously served by Ryanair, provided they align with its business model of connecting small and medium-sized European cities, with a focus on southern Europe. The airline already serves Santander, Zaragoza, and the Canary Islands, and a new Santander-Granada connection is anticipated in December. Volotea plans to offer 3.6 million seats in Spain in 2025, a 10% increase from 2024 and a 149% increase from 2019, with continued capacity growth and new routes from its main Spanish base in Asturias, including a new Madrid connection launching October 31st.
Despite these expansions, industry observers note that a complete restoration of Ryanair’s previously offered routes, especially at smaller regional airports, is not guaranteed. Ryanair has declined to specify which Spanish routes will be cut, stating to The Local Spain that it had “nothing further to add this time.”
