Óscar Puente: «The ‘modus operandi’ of Ryanair fits the blackmail modality»

The Minister of Transportation, Óscar Puente, does not twist the arm in the battle that Aena and Ryanair at the rates at regional airports and takes command in the dispute as the ultimate responsible for the airport manager, after sending a letter to the CEO a few weeks ago of the company, Michael O’Leary, where he invited him to reduce the tone. The Valladolid has returned to the load this Wednesday in the Transportation Commission of the Congress of Deputies and has described “blackmail” the “modus operandi ‘” of the Irish “” constantly requesting aids and removing planes when there is hardly any margin of reaction by reaction by reaction by reaction the competitive airlines ». “It could fit into the blackmail modality that the Government of Spain can nor will it accept,” said Puente.

Puente believes that Ryanair’s decision to suppress 800,000 seats in summer in up to seven small airports (he leaves Valladolid and Jerez and cuts operations in Vigo, Santiago, Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander) is not really linked to the amount of rates As the Irish assures. and the “fallazing” cup taking into account that it will increase traffic during the summer season in tourist airports and the great ‘hubs’ (Barajas and the Prat) despite the cost of operating in them is between 60% and a 150% above that of doing it in a regional one.

All this has been said before describing as “crazy” the proposal for growth in regional airports that the low -cost aviation giant presented Aena and the bridge itself last year. As revealed by the former mayor of Valladolid, Ryanair offered to increase 800,000 annual seats between 2024 and 2026 in 14 of the 32 regional infrastructure on condition of reversing the increase in rates in all airports that AENA approved last year, in addition to in exchange for mass discounts on the rates of regional airports that went from 50% to maintain traffic compared to the previous year to 100% In case of increasing it during exercises 2025 and 2026, “with extended effects for 7 years.”

Requirement of subsidies

In addition, according to Puente, the Irish also demanded contributions from public funds from local entities and autonomous communities, – “something that is not in my hand” – for 5 years, for 5 years, In addition to 150,000 euros a year to maintain each existing route and 250,000 per year for each new route. Something that according to the Minister of Transport is “disproportionate and dangerous” for the “solid Spanish airport system.” “It would also be illegal and state help from the European Union,” he added.

However, Puente recalled that in some airports affected by the Ryanair square cuts, the program for the summer is superior to that of 2024, in addition to the AENA, the usual contacts with both airlines and the local and autonomic institutions are intensified “To develop new routes and cover the void created by Irish.”