“Recover Tourism And Jobs By Reducing, Not Increasing, Airport Charges”

Ryanair, Spain’s largest airline, today (29 June) welcomes the CNMC’s report that AENA should reduce Spanish airport charges from 2022 to 2026 (DORA II), rather than the excessive 5% increase proposed by AENA. While Ryanair welcomes these reductions, greater operational efficiencies can and must be introduced by AENA to ensure Spain retains air connectivity and maintains its tourism leadership in Europe.

Despite years of excessive profits, AENA had sought to increase airport charges by a staggering 5% from 2022 to 2026 which was designed solely to protect its shareholders from any adverse effects of the pandemic. The CNMC’s report rejects AENA’s illogical airport charges increase, identifying huge cost inefficiencies in AENA’s proposal.

Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness, said:

“We welcome the CNMC’s confirmation that AENA cannot breach Spanish law by increasing airport charges before 2026. Now is the time for AENA and the Spanish Government to reduce excessive Spanish airport charges and introduce long-term traffic recovery incentives in order to stimulate the recovery of local economies and jobs lost as a result of the pandemic.

We expect the DGAC to follow the CNMC’s recommendations, and introduce charge reductions, in their upcoming DORA II report (for the period 2022 to 2026). Any failure by the DGAC to introduce the much needed airport charge reductions will directly result in the delayed recovery of the Spanish tourism industry as airlines reallocate traffic and connectivity to airports and markets who are proactively seeking to recover traffic”.