Ryanair passengers get Spain charge warning

Ryanair has warned Spain-bound passengers they may have to fork out more for flights, already secured, if increased charges are introduced at main airports this summer.

The Spanish government has proposed increasing the airport charges as part of a drive to balance its books and avoid an international bailout.

Ryanair expects the additional fee to be applied immediately once the budget was passed. If this happens, the airline said it and other operators in the Iberian market will be forced to pay the levies.

Ryanair has already emailed passengers warning them of the potential liability which could apply to all tickets acquired for flights landing at Spanish airports this summer.

Company spokesman Stephen McNamara said while the budget measure had yet to be passed or fully spelled out, Ryanair had decided to warn its customers.

“The Spanish budget proposes to double passenger charges at Madrid and Barcelona airports, as well as imposing smaller increases at other Spanish airports.

“It appears that these increases will become effective immediately after the budget is passed and any passengers, who have already booked, will have to pay these higher fees if the budget is approved by the Spanish parliament,” he said.

Ryanair said it did not know how many Irish or other European customers would be directly affected.

However, arising from changes in the market since the collapse of Spainair, Ryanair is now the biggest airline in Spain. British Airways has indicated it will absorb any additional charge for passengers who had already bought tickets.

Spain is currently in a battle familiar to the Irish government of 2010. with higher international bond yields reflecting a belief among the markets that it cannot afford to sustain a property-related bank debt and public sector deficit.