Ryanair decries ANAC’s nod: ANA’s 17% price surge in 2024

Friday, December 22, 2023

Ryanair, declared today (22 Dec) a further reduction in its Summer 2024 schedules at Faro and Porto airports. This decision follows the perplexing approval by ANAC of ANA’s unwarranted airport charge hikes, reaching up to 17% starting January 2024. These exorbitant increases, detrimental to Portugal’s connectivity, tourism, and employment, particularly impact regions like Madeira and the Azores, heavily reliant on air travel for ties with mainland Portugal and broader Europe.

The repercussions are already evident through Ryanair’s closure of its Ponta Delgada base, withdrawal of one of its two aircraft ($100m investment) from the Madeira base, and the previously announced Summer 2024 cutbacks at Faro and Porto. In addition to these reductions, Ryanair has today further scaled back capacity on 40 routes at its Faro and Porto bases for Summer 2024, a direct response to the unjustified charge increases.

ANA’s airport monopoly, unchallenged in Portugal, allows for unimpeded price hikes. In Lisbon alone, passenger fees for 2024 will surge by up to +50% compared to 2019, contrary to the trend in most European airports, which have reduced fees post-Covid to revive traffic and growth. The Portuguese Government’s failure to ensure its airports, crucial to national infrastructure, contribute to the country’s prosperity rather than solely benefiting the French-owned airport monopoly operator, VINCI, is glaring.

ANAC must promptly rectify its short-sighted decision to prevent further harm to the Portuguese economy and prohibit ANA’s excessive and unjustified charge increase for 2024. Ryanair urges the Portuguese Government to swiftly reopen the concession for the new Montijo Airport, aiming to dismantle the ANA/VINCI airport monopoly and inject much-needed competition into the Portuguese aviation market.

Ryanair’s Eddie Wilson said:

“We are appalled that the Portuguese Regulator, ANAC, has rubber stamped ANA’s monopoly airport charge increases of up to 17% from January 2024. This bizarre decision will have a devastating impact on Portugal’s connectivity, tourism growth, and jobs, especially in Madeira and the Azores where Ryanair has already closed its Ponta Delgada base and removed one of our two aircraft from Madeira – a loss of $100m investment – due to ANA’s excessive charges.

The ANA monopoly should follow the example of its European counterparts and lower airport charges to help stimulate traffic and tourism recovery, not increase charges by up to 17% to line the pockets of the French owned airport monopoly operator –VINCI. Instead, these unjustified airport charge increases will erode Portugal’s competitiveness and drive-away much-needed inbound tourism in the off-peak season – as evidenced by todays incremental capacity reduction in both Faro & Porto.

These excessive airport charge increases have today resulted in Ryanair further reducing capacity across 40 routes at our Faro and Porto bases. The Portuguese Govt. must immediately intervene to protect Portuguese tourism, airlines, passengers, and island-economies from ANA’s excessive monopoly pricing that is driving away much needed tourism growth.”

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