Ryanair cancels 13 Spain flights – Canary Islands routes affected

The low-cost carrier is reducing its network further: in the coming weeks several connections between the mainland and the Canary Islands will be dropped — especially routes to and from Barcelona are affected.

Suddenly fewer connections: What will be cut

News arrived this afternoon: the budget airline has announced that it will cancel further flights to Spain within about two months. According to the company, a total of 13 routes are affected — many of them between the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands.

Routes to Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Tenerife South are particularly affected. If you fly frequently via Barcelona, pay close attention: some flights to the Catalan hub are being discontinued (see Ryanair Cuts Winter Flights — a Warning Signal for Mallorca).

Why is this happening?

At the core is a dispute over costs: operators and airlines have been at odds for months over higher handling fees. After an increase that was negotiated for the first time in about ten years, Ryanair apparently responded by withdrawing certain routes — capacities are to be shifted to other services instead.

What it feels like on the ground

I was at the airport this afternoon — there was noticeably less activity at Check-in C than usual, and the small café opposite had more staff than waiting passengers. For travellers this means: if you want to book your winter flight now, keep a close eye on booking confirmations and reroutes. Some routes will see rebookings, others will simply lose seats without replacement.

Who loses, who wins?

The Canary Islands are likely to see a short-term reduction in offering breadth — this can affect hotel and car rental prices, especially in the shoulder seasons. At the same time, other airlines are trying to fill the gaps; Italy and Croatia have already been mentioned as destinations where capacities were moved (see Ryanair threatens further cuts – How at risk is Mallorca?).

Practical tip: Check your booking, follow announcements from your airline and contact customer service if necessary. And yes: a bit of flexibility helps more than usual right now.

I'll keep you updated — preferably with a cup of coffee, somewhere between Gate 4 and the taxi rank, when someone is talking about the new flight schedule again.