Aena raises fees, prompting Ryanair complaint
Lucena (Aena) asks Ryanair to “make a bit more effort in the solidity of its arguments”
The president and chief executive of Aena, Mauricio Lucena, urged Ryanair to “make a bit more effort in the solidity of the arguments” it uses to criticize the airport‑authority’s fee proposals, arguing that the airline shows “a lack of originality” by repeatedly attacking the fee increase and calling the consultation process with Aena “fictional”.
In a press conference presenting Aena’s proposal for the Airport Regulation Document 2027‑2031 (DORA III), Lucena was asked about statements made the same day by Ryanair’s chief executive, Eddie Wilson, who described Aena’s plan as “regrettable” because it entails a fee rise and “does not take airlines’ traffic forecasts into account”.
Aena’s proposal foresees a total investment of €12.888 billion, of which €9.991 billion is regulated investment to be covered by DORA 2027‑2031. The fee increase would be 3.8 % per year.
“Everything is debatable, but Aena is very clear in explaining its plans. These fees will finance investments, infrastructure improvements and a reasonable return on those investments,” Lucena said.
He added that Ryanair’s arguments are “evanescent, emotional” and that Spain is “lucky” that the future of its airports does not depend on Ryanair, because “they would surely be much worse than they are now.”
“The short‑sightedness, myopia, even arrogance with which Ryanair comments on issues it only partially understands is astonishing,” Lucena continued. “Explain the basis of your arguments so the debate can be, at least in the quality of arguments, on equal footing.”
Nevertheless, Lucena summarized the situation as “very simple”: he believes the Irish carrier wants to “squeeze every possible gain” from the system in a “highly harmful zero‑sum game,” taking for itself what Aena’s shareholders do not.
He warned that Spain’s airports “cannot be subject to the caprice and lack of good education of an airline such as Ryanair,” adding that he would like to see whether Ryanair will still be around in 30 years, “because aviation history does not guarantee it.”
Lucena said he is willing to “listen attentively,” though “it would be better if they were a bit more elegant,” but “simply listening” is necessary because he considers it “an intellectual and technical boldness” for an airline to evaluate Aena’s investment plans.
“It’s like stepping into a regulatory arena that does not invite you, as an airline, to intervene,” he concluded.
Ryanair claims the consultation process was “fictional”
On Wednesday, Ryanair’s chief executive Eddie Wilson called Aena’s fee‑increase proposal “regrettable, but not surprising,” noting that it would amount to a 21 % rise between 2027 and 2031.
“This monopoly has a history of applying the highest fees at the expense of traffic development, especially at regional airports,” Wilson said.
Wilson argued that the “excessive” proposal results from a “fictional consultation process” during which airlines supplied detailed information for four months, only for Aena to “ignore those contributions entirely” and present the same “ridiculous investment proposal” it had already put forward in September 2025.
He suggested that Aena could carry out its planned investments by reducing airport fees if it took airlines’ input and traffic forecasts into account.
In this regard, the Airlines Association (ALA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) advocate a 4.9 % fee reduction.
“Aena is manipulating passenger figures to avoid any risk and keep all the profit potential; the only loser is the Spanish economy,” Wilson asserted. He added that, if approved, the proposal would be “a turning point for Spanish tourism” because “even the most popular Spanish airports, such as those in the Canary Islands, would cease to be competitive.”
Consequently, Wilson appealed to the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) and the Ministry of Transport to reject Aena’s proposal and instead boost Spain’s traffic by lowering fees during this period, ensuring that airports “are not artificially limited by Aena’s monopolistic pricing policies.”