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Ryanair has been asked to comment but has yet to respond.
It has yet to be revealed what happened to the travellers left behind and how long they had to wait for in Lanzarote or if they had to stay overnight.
The airport has also come under fire for long, continuous queues at the taxi and bus ranks, with people waiting up to 2 hours.
It reported: “Some industry sources suggest the decision may be linked to Ryanair’s ongoing frustration with Spain over increased airport charges introduced by AENA, though the airline has not formally commented on the incident.”
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Ryanair has released a statement expressing its fury with Aena for its price hikes. It said that the increase in airport taxes was the “nail in the coffin” for regional connectivity, and that costs were “spiralling out of control”.
“The only reason Ryanair and other airlines are cutting traffic at Spain’s regional airports – which are now empty by more than 70% – is that Aena’s excessive fares are diverting that traffic to more competitive airports elsewhere in Europe. That is the economic reality of monopoly prices.”
The airline said that while it would increase its summer traffic by 11% in Morocco, 9% in Italy and 60% in Albania, it would grow by less than 0.5% at Spanish airports this summer.
“Aena is doing just the opposite, and the Spanish regions are paying the price for this failed policy with loss of connectivity, loss of economic growth and loss of jobs.”
Ryanair said it wanted to grow in Spain, as the largest airline in the country, and welcomed the opportunity to sit down with Aena for a discussion.
“But as long as Aena’s monopoly clings to a failed policy of high prices, traffic in Spain’s regions will continue to bleed to other countries, depriving citizens of the connectivity they deserve to travel for business, visit friends and family, and access tourist opportunities from their local airports.”
