Aena’s relationship with Ryanair has never been simple. However, the statement published by Maurici Lucena, president and CEO of Aena, represents a watershed moment in this economic conflict. In an unusually harsh statement, Lucena denounces the Irish airline’s lobbying campaign against European governments and the Spanish airport operator.
With statements as direct as “it is difficult to find another case in contemporary business history like that of Ryanair in which the discrepancy between the operational excellence of a company and the dishonesty of its communications policy is so astonishing,” Aena’s CEO confronts the company led by Michael O’Leary and Eddie Wilson.
The root of the conflict
The challenge centres on a 0.68 euro rise in airport costs slated for 2026, as mandated by law and the consequence of an objective mathematical process described in Law 18/2014. Ryanair believes that this rise will cause Spain to lose tourism, which Lucena describes as “ineffable stupefaction.”
The head of Aena points out that the country will receive about 100 million international tourists in 2025, a record figure, and that the winter flying schedule will also be historic. In this regard, he claims that Ryanair’s assertions are nothing more than an attempt at manipulation: “Ryanair repeatedly insists on the contrary, while, without blushing, the airline has raised its fares by an average of 21% in the last year.”
A Pan-European Pressure Strategy
Lucena believes that what is happening in Spain is not a unique situation. According to Aena, Ryanair has attempted to impose pressure in recent years by threatening to abandon services from Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the UK. Its pattern is always the same: demand public subsidies and favourable conditions at the expense of reduced connection.
The statement warns that this technique is in response to a “plutocratic conception of the political system,” in which the airline believes that decision-making should be based on economic power.
Author: Derek Appleton
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