PM meets Michael O’Leary
RYANAIR CEO Michael O’Leary outlined his budget airline’s €5 billion investment plan in Spain during a meeting with PM Pedro Sánchez at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid.
The spending commitment covers the next seven years.
Sr Sánchez said: “I would like to thank Michael O’Leary for his ambitious plan to invest in Spain.”
The airline envisages increasing its current 55 million passengers to 77 million, upping the number of routes from 730 to more than a thousand by 2030.
According to the government, they plan to base 33 new aircraft in the country, which will be more sustainable as they emit 20% less CO2 – and open five new bases at Spanish airports.
At the meeting, Sr Sánchez and Mr O’Leary agreed to work on strengthening regional airports.
“The development of this type of airport, with an increase in air traffic, will boost territorial development and economic activity in the area,” explained a government spokesman.
Ryanair has around 6,500 employees in Spain and is the leader in terms of number of passengers carried, as well as operating more than 700 routes from Spain to 29 countries, added the spokesman.
In the domestic market it operates 82 routes.
The PM stressed the importance of the airline's commitment to Spain, ‘a reflection of the stability and potential of the Spanish economy, as well as the confidence it inspires in international markets and investors’.
“Spain is a great country to invest in,” he said.
It also supports the strengthening of a key sector such as tourism, which by the end of 2023 was already pointing to record figures, added the spokesman. The meeting was also attended by the minister of transport and sustainable mobility, Óscar Puente.