Spain Transport Minister Backs Tourist Levies and Rebuffs Ryanair Demands on Airport Charges

Municipal services and floating populations

Spain's Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, endorsed the adoption of municipal tourist taxes to help localities finance essential public services strained by high visitor numbers. Speaking in an interview given in Alicante, Puente described such levies as reasonable mechanisms to ensure that visitors contribute to the infrastructure they use. He pointed to Mediterranean destinations such as Alicante, Valencia, and Benidorm, where large seasonal influxes place disproportionate pressure on municipal sanitation and local policing.

Benidorm, to give an example, has a massive floating population.

Puente explained that municipal budgets reliant solely on permanent residents struggle when temporary populations multiply. Under Spain's legal structure, autonomous communities decide whether to authorize tourist surcharges. Currently, mandatory levies operate only in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. In Catalonia, the city of Barcelona levies a supplementary municipal surcharge that brings aggregate rates up to 11 euros per night.

Regional rollout across Spain

Other autonomous communities are moving toward local levies at differing speeds. In Galicia, where tourist taxes are subsidized, Santiago de Compostela and La Coruña already apply daily rates between 1 euro and 2.50 euros, and Vigo is scheduled to introduce the charge on 1 October 2026. The Basque Country approved a regional ecotax framework taking effect on 1 January 2027, allowing San Sebastián, Bilbao, and Vitoria to collect between 0.50 euros and 6.50 euros per visitor per day.

Conversely, regional governments in Andalusia, the Valencian Community, and Madrid have rejected proposed tourist taxes. Municipalities such as Seville and Valencia have formally requested authorization to implement local surcharges, but regional executives have blocked their introduction.

Ryanair capacity cuts and airport fees

Puente also criticized Irish carrier Ryanair, accusing airline management of using public disputes over airport fees to distract from industry-wide aircraft delivery delays. The minister stated that delivery backlogs across the aeronautical sector prevent carriers from receiving ordered planes on schedule. Between 2025 and 2026, Ryanair cut 3 million seats across Spanish regional airports while adding 600,000 seats across primary hubs including Madrid, Barcelona, Palma, and Málaga.

According to Puente, the airline shifts aircraft away from less profitable secondary hubs, such as Valladolid, toward profitable routes at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat, regardless of higher operating charges at capital facilities. The remarks follow statements by Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson, who conditioned the placement of planes from an incoming 300-aircraft order on reductions in Spanish airport fees.

Gateway capacity and Aena operations

Defending the fee structure managed by state-backed airport operator Aena, Puente maintained that Spanish aeronautical charges remain competitive against broader European benchmarks. He pointed to Aena's operational standing across international markets.

There is no country in the world that would not want to have Aena managing an airport.

Addressing projections of Spain approaching 100 million annual tourists, Puente stated that primary hubs such as Madrid are approaching capacity limits during peak periods. He indicated that future passenger expansion will rely primarily on utilizing available off-peak operational slots.