Ryanair axes over one million seats on Spanish routes, including Canary Islands flights

Budget airline Ryanair has announced a major cut to its Spanish flight schedule, removing more than one million seats for the upcoming winter season. The decision includes a 10% reduction in Canary Islands flights and the complete suspension of services to Tenerife North and Vigo.

The airline confirmed that its two-aircraft base in Santiago will close, while several regional airports in Spain will see steep reductions:

Zaragoza – down by 45%

Santander – down by 38%

Asturias – down by 16%

Vitoria – down by 2%

Meanwhile, airports in Valladolid and Jerez will remain closed until at least winter 2025. In total, 36 direct connections across Spain and the Canary Islands are being scrapped.

Ryanair stated that the move was triggered by Spanish airport operator AENA’s planned 6.62% increase in passenger fees for 2026. The airline warned the cuts will “harm regional connectivity, reduce tourism, and cost jobs in local economies.”

Despite the cuts, Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson said the airline will shift capacity to  “airports in Italy, Morocco, Croatia, Sweden, and Hungary, which are more cost-efficient and open to growing passenger traffic.”

The announcement comes as Ryanair reported carrying 21 million passengers in August 2025, up from 20.5 million the same month last year.