Ryanair launches more flights to popular Spanish city after axing millions of seats

A budget airline has announced that it will increase its flights to a popular Spanish city this winter. Ryanairrevealed in its winter 2025 Schedule that more airports will go to Alicante.

Cardiff Airport in Wales and Aberdeen Airport in Scotland will now have three flights a week to the Spanish city. Extra flights will also be added from Edinburgh. These additional routes and frequencies will see Ryanair's winter capacity grow in Alicante by 12%, providing citizens and visitors with more choice and regular connections. The schedule will largely operate on Ryanair's 16 Alicante-based aircraft, representing a £1.2 billion investment that supports over 6,700 local jobs and drives year-round tourism to Alicante. The Spanish city is known for its golden sand beaches, particularly Playa San Juan and El Postiguet, and historic landmarks like the Santa Barbara Castle and the Old Town. The city also offers a vibrant nightlife, local festivals, and a rich culinary scene, especially known for its rice dishes.

This comes after Ryanair cut over a million seats from its winter 2025 Schedule due to AENA, which owns and operates 46 airports across Spain, increasing airport charges by 6.5% in 2026.

The charges are applied to airlines for using airports and airport services, including terminals, runways, security, and baggage handling. The money raised is being used to improve Spanish airports.

Ryanair has said that while they have "long championed and invested in regional airports", they can't justify continued investment in airports "where growth is blocked due to uncompetitive fees".

Ryanair's Head of Communications and spokesperson in Spain, Alejandra Ruiz, said: "Ryanair is pleased to launch our Alicante winter 2025 schedule, with 79 routes, including 10 new exciting destinations such as Bratislava (Slovakia); Linz, Salzburg (Austria); Bydgoszcz, Rzeszow (Poland); Cardiff, Aberdeen (UK); Stockholm Västeras, Smaland (Sweden); Lanzarote (Spain) and additional flights in 29 existing routes, including Milan, Marrakesh, Budapest, Edinburgh and many more.

"This new offer increases Ryanair's capacity at Alicante by 12%, giving our customers even more choice at the lowest fares. Despite AENA's excessive taxes, which have contributed to two million seat losses in 2025 in other regions, Ryanair remains committed to Alicante, with 16 based aircraft, supporting over 6,700 local jobs."

Ryanair's full winter 2025 schedule is available to book now at Ryanair.com, with flights to and from Alicante available from just £19.12 to travel from November until the end of March.