For 2025, also applicable from next March, Aena has proposed an increase of 0.54%, a decision against which Ryanair has lodged a formal appeal with the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC). The Irish airline accuses the airport manager of “failing to comply” with the decision taken by the Spanish government in 2021 to freeze airport charges until 2026.
Wilson has also complained that Aena is focusing on investing in other Latin American countries, such as Brazil, but not in Spanish airports, especially in regional airports, which is where the company intends to grow. According to him, the correct strategy would be to freeze taxes and allow traffic growth at airports in regions with traditionally fewer flights, which would increase revenue and, once there, increase taxes.
He also pointed out that this would be aimed at alleviating the problems of ‘Empty Spain’ and diversifying the tourist offer beyond sun and beach destinations. “We have the airports, we have the planes, we just have to make them competitive,” said the director, who stressed that there is no need to build “anything new”, just “change the mentality and let the airports have traffic”.
On his relationship with the Spanish Government and the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, Wilson said that it is good, but that the part of the relationship that “has to be changed” is that of Aena.
However, the company is asking for the 4.09% increase for this year to be abolished and for the 0.5% increase for 2025 to be ruled out, as well as improving incentive plans for regional airports to allow airlines to grow at them and preventing the introduction of taxes that are harmful to the sector.
Earlier this year, Ryanair presented a growth plan to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Transport Minister that projected a 40% growth in passenger traffic, particularly at regional airports, carrying more than 77 million passengers over the next 10 years.
However, it now considers that these plans are greatly affected by rising costs, but if Aena “introduced a discount plan”, it could consider increasing capacity at airports such as Granada, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Jerez or Reus. Since 2016, Ryanair has not opened any new regional base in Spain, while it has done so in other countries such as Italy, Croatia or Morocco, which it considers a “direct consequence of Aena’s inability to offer competitive fares”.
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