Ryanair plans to open five new bases in Spain and aims to grow by 40pc in the country by 2030, Eddie Wilson has told the Hotusa event at Fitur 2024 in Madird.
The group intends to increase passenger traffic to Spain to 77m people by 2024, but competitive airport charges are crucial for this growth.
The Spanish Transport Minister announced a 4.09pc increase in airport tariffs by March, which Ryanair believes should be reversed.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, recently met with the Prime Minister of Spain, promising a €5bn investment in the country over the next seven years.
Mr Wilson told the event that proposed taxes on aviation would “mean that people don’t have as much access to flights” and that “airports are now competing with other countries to expand their fleets. Ryanair will go where the best value is to be had.”
Mr Wilson was speaking on a panel that included Mauruci Lucena of Aene, Javier Gándara of Easyjet, Marco Sansavini of Vueling, moderated by Ana Pastor Julián.
During the discussion:
- Marco Sansavini, CEO of Vueling, said, “The regulatory framework should not be an impediment but rather a support.”
- Javier Gándara, General Director of easyJet said, “90% of the fuel is produced in 22 countries. An advantage of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is that the raw material is decentralized. We have a great opportunity with decarbonization. We can be self-sufficient in production and even lead it.”
- Maurici Lucena, President of Aena said, “The capacity of airports in Spain is 360m passengers. Airports are approaching the limit of their capacity, and Aena has had to accelerate the expansion of airports.”
