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“The king is dead, long live the king.” With that old saying, Spain’s Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, summed up the mood in the Senate on Tuesday. Just a week after Ryanair dropped the bombshell that it would be cutting one million seats and 36 routes in Spain this winter, other airlines are already moving in to fill the gaps.

 

Ryanair’s decision means a permanent exit from Vigo, Santiago and Valladolid, as well as reduced operations in Tenerife North from January 1 next year. The Irish low-cost giant blamed what it called “excessive and uncompetitive” charges from airport operator Aena.

 

But Spanish and European rivals are not wasting time. Vueling, Iberia Express, Binter and Wizz Air have all announced new or expanded services, particularly in the Canary Islands and Galicia.

 

“Ryanair has left some places, but don't worry, other companies are coming in to replace them,” Mr Puente reassured.

 

Vueling is taking the most ambitious steps. This winter the airline will offer nearly 900,000 seats to Tenerife North, an 11% jump compared to last year, with 89,000 extra seats. It’s also adding 25 new weekly flights, including five more to Barcelona (now 35 in total), daily flights to Sevilla and extra services to Santiago, Malaga, Alicante and Valencia. Current connections to Bilbao, Granada, Asturias and Paris will continue.

 

At Santiago de Compostela Airport, Vueling plans a 15% boost in seats, with 28 more weekly flights. Routes to Barcelona, Palma, Sevilla and Malaga will be reinforced, while the Santiago–Alicante service is being restored with two flights a week.

 

Internationally, Zurich will return with three weekly connections, and London flights will now operate from Heathrow. Paris flights remain unchanged.

 

The numbers highlight the scale of Vueling’s commitment: the airline has carried more than 9.6 million passengers through Santiago since it began operating there in 2006. In 2024 alone, over 1.2 million people flew with Vueling from the city, and nearly 760,000 have already done so this year.

 

Vueling isn’t the only one stepping up. Iberia Express is also reinforcing its Canary Islands routes. From October to March it will add 30,000 seats, a 5% increase, with 15,000 more to Tenerife North and 8,300 more to Las Palmas. The airline will run up to eight daily flights linking Madrid with the islands during the winter season.

 

Local carrier Binter, which began as an inter-island airline, announced this week that it will launch new direct flights between the Canary Islands and Sevilla.

 

Meanwhile, Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air was quick to declare that it will expand its Canary Islands operations in response to Ryanair’s retreat, although specific details have not yet been shared.

 

Mr Puente took the opportunity to make clear that Spain’s transport policy will not be dictated by Ryanair’s decisions.

 

“What won't happen in this country, at least not while we're in government or I'm Minister of Transport, is that any company will be able to change our country's airport and tourism policy through blackmail,” he said.

 

This isn’t the first time Ryanair has walked away from Spanish regional airports. Earlier this year, the airline closed or reduced operations at seven of them for the summer season, without other carriers stepping in to replace the lost routes.

 

But this time, the response has been immediate and significant, especially in Tenerife North and Santiago de Compostela, where passengers will still have plenty of options to choose from.

 

 

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