Ryanair Reduces Flights In Spain, While Iberia Express Expands Its Services To The Canary Islands With Thousands Of Additional Seats To Capture Rising Demand For Winter Travel, Here Is What You Need To Know

Published on September 6, 2025

Ryanair has precocious announced a important simplification successful its flights to Spain, including a alteration of 400,000 seats to nan Canary Islands. This cutback is simply a nonstop consequence to rising airdrome charges imposed by Aena, Spain’s airdrome operator, which has led to higher operational costs for airlines. In contrast, Iberia Express, a low-cost bearer nether the International Airlines Group (IAG), is taking advantage of this displacement successful nan marketplace by expanding its services to nan Canary Islands. The hose is adding thousands of caller seats and expanding nan wave of flights to meet nan increasing request for wintertime travel.

Iberia Express, a fund hose operating nether nan International Airlines Group (IAG), has revealed its plans to importantly summation its beingness successful nan Canary Islands. This description comes successful consequence to a displacement successful nan Spanish aviation landscape, marked by a simplification successful services from competitor Ryanair. With caller seats, flights, and accrued capacities, Iberia Express intends to seizure a larger stock of nan increasing request for recreation to nan Canary Islands. Here’s a person look astatine nan developments and what they mean for travelers successful Spain and beyond.

Iberia Express’s Strategic Expansion

Between October 2025 and January 2026, Iberia Express will adhd a full of 30,000 caller seats connected flights to nan Canary Islands. The hose plans to motorboat 115 caller flights, complementing this pinch expanded capacity connected 150 existing routes to amended service passengers during nan engaged wintertime season. This move signifies a 5% summation successful IAG’s operations to nan Canary Islands, emphasizing Iberia Express’s volition to heighten its footprint successful nan region. The airline’s proactive attack stands successful opposition to nan caller news from rival Ryanair, which has announced important cutbacks successful its operations to Spain.

Ryanair’s Contraction successful Spain

While Iberia Express is expanding its routes, Ryanair is importantly reducing its beingness successful Spain, peculiarly successful nan Canary Islands. The hose confirmed that astir 400,000 less seats will beryllium disposable connected flights to nan Canary Islands owed to nan simplification successful services. This alteration is portion of a broader strategy wherever Ryanair plans to trim astir 1 cardinal seats to Spain passim nan wintertime period. The cutbacks travel successful consequence to rising costs imposed by Aena, nan country’s airdrome authority.

Increased Competition successful nan Canary Islands

Despite Ryanair’s pullback, nan fund hose is not wholly abandoning nan Canary Islands. In fact, Ryanair has announced plans to bolster its operations successful bluish Tenerife pinch an further 15,000 seats. Additionally, Ryanair intends to adhd 8 other regular flights to Madrid, arsenic good arsenic supply 850 much seats astatine Tenerife South. While these increases are notable, they autumn short of offsetting nan broader simplification successful capacity crossed Spain.

Iberia Express’s determination to adhd thousands of caller seats and flights comes astatine an opportune time, arsenic nan Canary Islands stay a celebrated destination for European travelers, particularly during nan wintertime months. With its added capacity and accrued work offerings, Iberia Express is positioning itself arsenic a beardown contender for travelers looking to flight to nan islands.

Ryanair’s Response to Aena’s Airport Charges

Ryanair’s scaling backmost of operations successful Spain is chiefly driven by a important summation successful airdrome charges imposed by Aena. The airdrome usability announced a 6.62% emergence successful fees starting successful September 2026. In response, Ryanair has chosen to standard backmost its operations to Spain, eliminating 600,000 seats from location airports and reducing an further 400,000 seats connected flights to nan Canary Islands. The airline’s dissatisfaction pinch nan value hikes is clear, and Ryanair has accused Aena of prioritizing profits from awesome airports astatine nan disbursal of location services.

Ryanair Closes Base successful Santiago, Cancels Flights

In summation to nan spot reductions, Ryanair is making important adjustments to its operations successful Spain. The hose confirmed nan closure of its guidelines successful Santiago, starring to a £149 cardinal finance nonaccomplishment for nan Galicia region. Furthermore, each flights to Tenerife North will beryllium suspended by nan extremity of nan year, and services to Vigo will cease starting January 1, 2026.

Ryanair’s determination to propulsion backmost from these location airports underscores nan financial pressures caused by nan accrued airdrome charges. The hose has voiced vexation pinch some Aena and nan Spanish government, accusing them of failing to support location airports and undermining section economies. This business has led to concerns that nan rising costs could negatively effect Spain’s aviation sector, peculiarly for budget-conscious travelers.

Iberia Express Poised for Winter Surge

As Ryanair scales back, Iberia Express stands fresh to capitalize connected nan increasing request for Canary Islands flights this winter. The 30,000 caller seats and 115 further flights will supply much options for travelers seeking affordable routes to this celebrated destination. With IAG’s committedness to improving its services successful nan region, Iberia Express could summation a important competitory advantage during nan colder months erstwhile request for sun-soaked vacations peaks.

Conclusion

Ryanair is reducing flights to Spain, including cutting 400,000 seats to nan Canary Islands owed to rising airdrome charges. Meanwhile, Iberia Express is expanding its services to nan Canary Islands by adding thousands of caller seats and flights to seizure nan increasing request for wintertime travel, taking advantage of Ryanair’s pullback.