Ryanair Cuts Madrid By 35% & Barcelona By 23% In Response To AENA’s Unjustified Price Increases At Spanish Airports

SPANISH TRAFFIC CUT BY 12% – 4.5M PAX & 4,500 SPANISH JOBS LOST

2012-11-29 — /travelprnews.com/ — Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost airline, today (28 Nov) confirmed deep cuts to its flights at Madrid and Barcelona and across its Spanish operations in 2013 in response to the Spanish Govt doubling of airport taxes at both Madrid and Barcelona El Prat airports on 1 July 2012.

From 30^th March 2013, Ryanair cut its Madrid and Barcelona operations as follows:

Madrid (-35%):
·         4 based aircraft cut (from 14 to 10);
·         13 routes cancelled;
·         22 route frequency cuts;
·         272 weekly flights cut;
·         1.9m pax lost (from 5.3m to 3.4m);
·         1,900 “on site” jobs lost (ACI).

Barcelona El Prat (-23%):
·         1 based aircraft cut (from 13 to 12);
·         4 routes cancelled;
·         20 route frequency cuts;
·         170 weekly flights cut;
·         1.2m pax lost (from 5.4m to 4.2m);
·         1,200 “on site” jobs lost (ACI).

Spain (total) (-12%):
·         648 weekly flights cut;
·         4.5m pax lost (from 30m to 25.5m);
·         4,500 “on site” jobs lost (ACI).

These Ryanair cuts are the unavoidable response to the Spanish Govt’s unjustified and unnecessary doubling of airport taxes at both Madrid and Barcelona El Prat airports in July 2012. These extortionate tax increases, which are now being investigated by the EU Commission, are particularly damaging for Spanish tourism, jobs and the economy at a time when youth unemployment in Spain stands at an alarming 50%.

In Madrid, Ryanair’s Michael Cawley said:
Ryanair objects to the Spanish Govt’s decision to double airport taxes at both Madrid and Barcelona airports and increase airport charges at many other Spanish airports. Sadly, this will again lead to severe traffic, tourism and job cuts at both Madrid and Barcelona airports this summer as part of a 12% overall reduction in Ryanair’s Spanish operations.

Ryanair’s traffic cuts will cause a combined loss of 3.1m passengers and over 3,100 jobs at Madrid (35% less flights) and Barcelona El Prat (23% less flights) while other airports elsewhere Europe offer lower costs, where Ryanair continues to grow. These route and traffic cuts can be reversed but only when the Spanish Govt and its already high cost airport monopoly AENA reverse these unjustified tax increases and reduces its high airport charges, in order to stimulate tourism.”

###