tRAVEL NEWS
A reason to book those holidays now
Ryanair is threatening to cut a further one million seats from its Spanish routes next summer after axing one million from the approaching winter schedule.
The airline is blaming a 6.5% increase in airport charges for the capacity cuts.
In a Financial Times interview, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said he will ‘probably’ confirm the additional reductions later this month, unless the airline reaches a deal with airport operator AENA.
He has already announced the closure of Ryanair’s base at Santiago and cancelled winter flights to Tenerife North and Vigo, and capacity cuts across the Canary Islands as well as to Asturias, Santander and Zaragoza.
If Ryanair makes further cuts, Spain could lose 16% of its total flight capacity by next summer.
However, the Spanish Government, which owns 51% of AENA, has accused the airline of ‘blackmail’, saying the increase in airport fees is just €0.68 per passenger.
It pointed out that Ryanair increased its fares by 21% last year and made a post-tax profit of €820 million in the first quarter of this year.
Norwegian Airlines Extra Capacity
Norwegian has released its summer 2026 programme, adding extra capacity from Gatwick and Newcastle.
The airline will operate flights from London Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Newcastle to 10 destinations across Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. It is also finalising plans to add new UK services and will announce the new routes shortly.
Its Gatwick route to Billund in Denmark, which launched in June this year, will operate four to six times a week from March 2026, with 52 extra roundtrip flights for next summer compared to 2025.
Summer flights to Stavanger in Norway from Gatwick will increase to six weekly services from April 2026.
The Newcastle to Copenhagen route, which started in May this year, will continue for the winter season from October to January due to customer demand, and will then restart earlier in 2026, on 30 March.
Norwegian Chief Commercial Officer Magnus Thome Maursund said: “In our summer 2026 schedule, we’ve increased capacity and expanded our offering to the Nordic region, giving both leisure and business travellers even more choice
Sweeping Ban on Smoking and Vaping
Spain has drafted a law to ban smoking, vaping and the use of any tobacco-related devices in all outdoor public spaces.
The ban, if approved, will also apply to beaches, pool sides and restaurant terraces, unless there are designated private zones.
Spain’s Minister of Health Mónica García has presented the draft law in an attempt to cut down on smoking-related deaths in Spain.
However, it will also apply to foreign tourists, if approved by Spain’s parliament, and there could be fines for those who ignore it.
There are already smoking bans on many Spanish beaches, such as Benidorm and in the Canary Islands, including Amadores in Gran Canaria, but these are municipal, not nationwide.
