Marrakech – Ryanair will announce cuts of nearly one million seats at Spanish regional airports next week, while simultaneously strengthening its position in Morocco through expanded routes and increased investment.
According to Europa Press, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson confirmed the airline will reveal specific airports affected by the winter schedule cuts during a press conference in Madrid next Wednesday.
The decision comes in response to a 6.5% increase in airport fees for 2026 announced by Aena, Spain’s state-controlled airport operator, which Wilson described as “unjustified and harmful.”
“We are going to invest where we can get a return,” Wilson told Europa Press, criticizing the Spanish government’s “indifference” to what he called deteriorating and underutilized regional infrastructure. The airline claims many Spanish regional airports are “almost 70% empty due to a failed tariff structure.”
The capacity removed from Spanish airports will be reallocated to more competitive European markets, including Morocco.
Wilson specifically mentioned Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary, and Morocco as countries actively incentivizing growth, unlike Spain where “the government seems content to let regional airports wither.”
Meanwhile, Ryanair has established itself as a cornerstone of Moroccan air connectivity with four operational bases in Marrakech, Fez, Agadir, and Tangier – the latter opened in July 2024.
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The airline currently stations 14 aircraft in Morocco and operated 1,100 weekly flights across 175 routes during summer 2024, including 35 new connections.
Significantly, Ryanair launched Morocco’s first domestic air network in 2024, with 11 routes connecting nine cities and fares starting from MAD 330 ($33). The airline also added service to emerging airports like Beni Mellal and Errachidia.
The carrier targeted over 5 million passengers to, from, and within Morocco in summer 2024, representing a $1.4 billion investment that supports hundreds of direct aviation jobs and thousands in the tourism sector.
The Tangier base alone fields two aircraft serving 25 routes, 13 of which are new, and underpins more than 600 local jobs – evidence of a scaled, long-term bet aligned with Morocco’s tourism strategy and 2030 World Cup horizon.
This expansion has maintained its momentum into 2025. Ryanair’s summer 2025 schedule offers 3.7 million seats for Morocco and establishes new international connections to developing destinations.
Most notably, Dakhla is now connected to Madrid and Lanzarote through a strategic partnership with the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT).
The airline has also introduced fresh Europe-Morocco city pairs, including Dublin-Rabat routes. The move builds on the airline’s rapid ramp-up since operating the very first Moroccan domestic flight on March 31, 2024.
Morocco, Ryanair’s sole African market, has become central to its growth calculus. For policymakers and the tourism sector, this relationship translates into year-round capacity, diversified gateways beyond the “big four,” and stronger regional integration within the country.
