Budget airline battle: Wizz Air fills the gap left by Ryanair in Spain
The Hungarian low-cost airline says it will increase capacity in Spain by 39% as Ryanair continues to cut routes
Spain’s low-cost airline market is starting to look very different and Wizz Air is clearly hoping to take advantage of the turbulence surrounding Ryanair’s recent cuts.
For years, Ryanair has dominated budget travel in Spain, becoming the go-to airline for millions of tourists, expats and second-home owners flying in and out of the country. But after a growing row over airport charges imposed by Spain’s airport operator Aena, the Irish carrier has been steadily scaling back parts of its Spanish operation.
That retreat is now creating an opportunity and Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air seems more than happy to step into the gap.
While Ryanair has been shutting bases, reducing winter capacity and dropping routes altogether, Wizz Air has announced plans to significantly increase its presence in Spain, with the airline expecting capacity growth of 39% in 2026.
The company says Spain is becoming one of its key emerging markets and a much bigger focus for future expansion.
Vera Jardan, Wizz Air’s director of corporate communications, explained that “Spain is definitely an increasingly important emerging market for us, one on which we are focusing more and more.”
“We see that Spanish passengers are more open to adventures and spontaneous trips, and we would definitely like to meet that demand with more interesting flights and destinations to different countries.”
Unlike Ryanair, Wizz Air does'nt currently operate any official bases in Spain, but that hasn’t stopped the airline rapidly growing its network.
The carrier already operates 144 routes connecting Spain with 15 countries and flies from 16 Spanish airports including Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Castellón, Fuerteventura, Ibiza, Madrid, Málaga and Santander.
It has also just launched a new route linking Menorca with Budapest.
Ryanair has spent months publicly criticising Aena over airport fees, arguing that rising costs are making some regional Spanish routes financially unsustainable.
As part of those cutbacks, Ryanair has closed its base in Santiago de Compostela and cancelled all flights to Vigo and Tenerife North. Bases in Valladolid and Jerez remain shut while winter capacity is also being reduced in Asturias, Santander, Zaragoza and parts of the Canary Islands.
For travellers, particularly in smaller regional airports, the changes could mean fewer direct routes, reduced competition and potentially higher prices if alternative airlines don’t move in quickly enough.
That is where Wizz Air sees an opening. Although the airline is still much smaller than Ryanair in Spain, it appears to be betting that demand for cheap European city breaks and holiday flights remains strong despite economic uncertainty and rising travel costs.
Image: Wizz Air
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