Ryanair is to cut its flights from Alicante after a row with the airport about using airbridges.
It is slashing flights from October after the airport ordered it to use airbridges and pay over €2 million for what Ryanair calls "unnecessary facilities".
Ryanair, which has been operating at the airport for five years, said it has submitted a formal complaint about "monopoly abuse" by AENA Alicante to both the Spanish Government and the European Commission.
It is cutting the number of aircraft at the airport from 11 to two, halving its routes to 31 and cutting flights from over 600 to less than 200 weekly flights.
Bournemouth and Cork flights will be cancelled altogether while other routes from the UK will be scaled back.
A spokeswoman for the airline said the cutbacks are above and beyond regular winter reductions.
But she added: "It is important to note that these are reversible if the decision to introduce the unnecessary use of airbridges is changed."
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said: “Alicante Airport has opened up a new terminal building which was not needed, and to pay for it Alicante expects efficient airlines like Ryanair to now use the same inefficient and high cost airbridges that other high fare flag carrier airlines prefer to use.
"We hope even at this late stage that AENA Alicante will recognise the stupidity of trying to force up Ryanair’s handling costs by €2m p.a., which will now cost AENA Alicante more than €30m p.a. in lost aeronautical and commercial revenues.”
By Bev Fearis
