The low-cost carrier Ryanair has confirmed a drastic reduction of capacity in Spain, with more than one million seats cut this winter season. Among the most affected regions are the Canary Islands, where the airline will withdraw 400,000 seats and completely suspend operations at Tenerife North Airport.
Departure from Tenerife North and Vigo
From the start of winter 2025, Ryanair will no longer operate from Tenerife North. It will also suspend all flights to Vigo by January 2026. The company blames its decision on what it calls “excessive and uncompetitive airport charges” imposed by the state-owned operator Aena.
CEO Eddie Wilson stressed during a press briefing that the fee hikes would make many regional routes economically unviable. “These cuts will harm vulnerable airports, leading to the loss of investment, connectivity, tourism, and jobs across regional Spain,” he warned.
Cuts Across Spain
- Regional airports: A 41% reduction in capacity, or 600,000 fewer seats this winter.
- Canary Islands: A 10% reduction, equal to 400,000 fewer seats.
- Closures: The Santiago base (two aircraft) will shut down, eliminating a $200 million investment in Galicia.
- Seasonal closures: Valladolid and Jerez airports will not have Ryanair flights during the winter of 2025.
- Reduced operations: Zaragoza (-45%), Santander (-38%), Asturias (-16%), and Vitoria (-2%).
In total, Ryanair will cancel 36 direct connections with Spain’s regional airports and the Canary Islands. The freed-up capacity—around two million annual seats—will be redirected to Italy, Morocco, Croatia, and Albania.
Canary Islands: Tourism Soars Despite Airline Cuts
The cuts contrast sharply with the record-breaking tourism boom currently being experienced by the Canary Islands.
- In August, the archipelago had 934,883 people registered with Social Security, the highest figure in its history.
- Unemployment has fallen to 150,215 job seekers, nearly 8% less than last year, returning to pre-2008 crisis levels.
- Year-on-year, the Canary Islands lead Spain in job creation, with +28,507 workers (+3.15%). The province of Tenerife stands out with 3.6% growth.
Job Growth Across Sectors
- Hospitality: +5,288 jobs (+3.2%), reaching 171,315 employees—the largest sector in the archipelago.
- Health and social services: +4,652 jobs (+4.7%).
- Administrative services: +3,809 jobs (+5.3%).
- Transport and storage: +3,248 jobs (+6.7%).
- Construction: +2,327 jobs (+3.7%).
- Commerce: +2,121 jobs (+1.5%).
- Industry: +2.1% increase.
- Agriculture: +0.9% increase.
Unemployment has fallen across all islands, with La Gomera and El Hierro recording the sharpest drops (over 19%), followed by La Palma (-11.6%), Lanzarote (-8%), Gran Canaria (-7.7%), Tenerife (-7.6%), and Fuerteventura (-5.4%).
Focus on Long-Term Unemployment
The regional government highlights two positive developments:
- A decline of 7,381 unemployed people over 45, who make up 62% of all job seekers in the Canary Islands.
- A reduction of 6,000 long-term unemployed in the last year.
While Ryanair’s exit from Tenerife North Airport and the reduction of 400,000 seats will be a blow to connectivity, tourism in the Canary Islands remains resilient. Record arrivals and spending continue to fuel employment growth and declining joblessness, placing the archipelago among Spain’s strongest-performing regions.
The challenge ahead will be to balance these economic gains with the potential risks posed by reduced air capacity in the coming years.
