Ryanair warns Spain over 300 new Boeing jets

Ryanair says Spain could miss out on some of its 300 new Boeing 737 MAX-10 aircraft after the government approved a new airport-charge plan on Tuesday. The low-cost airline wants lower fees to keep expanding in Spain and says it may send planes to more competitive European markets instead. The plan covers 2027 to 2031 across airports managed by Aena.

Europa Press

The Airport Regulation Document, known as DORA III, raises the average airport charge by 0.33% a year — about three cents per passenger annually. The government says that amounts to an almost frozen average charge, having rejected the larger increase sought by Aena.

Ryanair welcomed that decision but said it did not go far enough. The airline says airport charges have already risen by 11% since 2024 and argues that lower fees would help Spain compete for scarce airline capacity.

The carrier says it has already pulled capacity from several high-cost Spanish airports and shifted investment to Morocco, Italy, Albania, Sweden and Slovakia, where airports offer fee reductions to attract traffic.

Ryanair still intends to grow in Spain as it receives the new aircraft in the coming years. But it says the planes will go first to countries and airports with the most competitive access costs, and has urged the Spanish government and Aena to work with the airline.

Ryanair warns Spain over 300 new Boeing 737 jets