Ryanair threatens to cut a million more seats to Spain by summer 2026

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary made the warning in a recent interview with the Financial Times, in which he said he would return to Madrid in two weeks to "probably" announce the elimination of another million seats for summer 2026.

This would be on top the 800,000 seats on flights to Spain cut this summer and the million seats already cancelled for the upcoming winter season in protest against Aena's 6.5 percent fee increase.

READ ALSO: Ryanair to scrap 36 flight routes to Spain

The airline is demanding that the Spanish government — which owns 51 percent of Aena — lower airport charges at regional airports, where they have decided to reduce or eliminate operations.

The government on the other hand believes that this is a form of "blackmail" and has pointed out that the increase, which would amount to €0.68 per passenger, is much lower than the average 21 percent increase in Ryanair ticket prices over the past year.

These increases earned the airline €820 million in the first quarter of this year.

Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy imposed a €107 million fine on Ryanair for "abusive" practices. He said Ryanair's strategy is "a campaign of intimidation, finger-pointing, rudeness, and, most recently, open blackmail against the Spanish government”.

READ ALSO: Will Ryanair's cancelled flight routes to Spain be replaced by other airlines?

This year already there were 1 million fewer passenger seats and 36 less flight connections with Spain.

Ryanair has said they will suspend all flights to the northwestern Galician city of Vigo starting January 1st 2026, and to Tenerife North Airport starting at the start of this year's winter season.

READ ALSO: All the flight routes to Spain that Ryanair will axe by winter

And the airline has already withdrawn from Valladolid and Jerez airports and has reduced capacity at Zaragoza, Santander, Asturias and Vitoria, as well as Canary Islands Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote.

This comes after Ryanair already cut 13 Spanish flight routes in early 2025, reducing passenger numbers by 800,000.

In total, this could reduce capacity to Spain by a total of 16 percent.

By targeting smaller regional airports Ryanair is inadvertently adding to the problem of overtoursim in some Spanish cities and resorts.

The Spanish tourism board is actively trying to promote lesser-known cities and regions and encouraging travellers to visit so that numbers are more spread out, but if there are no or reduced flight connections, this is going to make the goal even more difficult to reach.