Ryanair has announced it is slashing flights at another Spanish airport due to what it says is the country’s “flawed” airport charges system. As a result, Girona-Costa Brava Airport will see schedules cut by 11% for the summer 2026 season.
Girona-Costa Brava serves as a gateway for the popular Catalonian coast in northeastern Spain, and the Pyrenees, as well as providing an alternative to overtouristed Barcelona.
The budget Irish carrier has expressed regret at a situation that it claims has undermined its ability to expand in the region, blaming Spanish authorities and Aena, the operator of nearly all commercial airports in Spain. Aena has put up airport fees by 10% since 2024, the airline said, arguing that the operator’s intention to raise them by 21% in the next five years is likely to “further damage air connectivity, tourism, and employment across Spain.”
The airline “had ambitious growth plans for Catalonia’s regional airports, where it could have based a fifth aircraft in Girona, a new base in Reus, and achieved unprecedented growth at both airports under competitive conditions that would benefit all airlines,” Alejandra Ruiz, Ryanair’s Spanish spokesperson said. But instead of being able to forge ahead with those projects, it is “still awaiting a response from the Spanish government, which has no plan to fix a system that continues to line Aena’s pockets while draining regional airports.”
Despite the cuts, Ryanair will still offer 34 routes to 13 countries from Girona, including a new connection to Bucharest. But it had previously said its plans would lead to growth of 42%. It is demanding that the Spanish market competition regulator, Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC), along with the Ministry of Transport, stand up against Aena’s operating charges, which it says are harmful to the Spanish economy.
For the same reasons, in autumn 2025, the carrier announced it would wipe 1.2 million other seats from its Spanish capacity for the 2026 summer season, entailing a complete stop to Ryanair flights to and from Asturias Airport in northern Spain. Other affected flights and hubs over the winter season were 36 direct connections with Spain and the Canary Islands, and an operations shutdown at the three Spanish bases of Santiago, Tenerife North, and Vigo.
In those instances, other airlines appeared to jump on the opportunities created by the freeing up of Ryanair slots. Meanwhile, as overtourism protests and housing complaints continue to rumble in many Spanish destinations, and the country pursues quality over quantity and high-value spending over volume, Ryanair has accused Spanish President Sánchez of an anti-tourism strategy.
