'Ryanair will see growth again next summer against a record-breaking season this year'

Elena Cabrera, Ryanair's country manager for Spain and Portugal was in Malaga for a series of meetings held by the airline during the 8 December holiday weekend. The city is a favourite place of hers for family getaways too. "It's a privilege to live here," were her opening words to our interview in which she revealed the company's growth plans for the Costa del Sol on the back of a record-breaking high season.

–What are Ryanair's plans for Malaga Airport?

–This is one of our strongest bases in Spain. We fly to 77 destinations, with six new routes this winter and more frequent flights on 37 of those routes. We are very pleased with the results. It is the largest offering we've made for Malaga in the winter season and the gamble has paid off. Everything is going very well. Malaga is 2% above the company average for seat occupancy across the entire network, with reservations at 96%. That's a very high seat occupancy rate. And this on top of a 15% increase in seats compared to last winter. We are optimistic because we already see that we are going to have a good year end.

–Malaga must be a sure-fire bet for you...

–In Spain, Malaga is one of the best winter destinations, alongside Alicante. We have nine aircraft stationed here in the low season, which is a very large number to keep in one location. We are the biggest airline at the Costa del Sol airport with a 28% share of the market. Every time I come to this city it is to announce good news, and the response is always very positive.

–Will 2023 year end show a full economic recovery?

–For us, definitely. We are already well above pre-pandemic levels and the plans we've rolled out for this winter on the Costa del Sol are our biggest ever. The truth is that, after Covid, we have had two very good summers because people were so keen to travel again for both tourism and work, exceeding all our expectations. We hope to continue to grow. At Malaga Airport we have already filled nearly 300 posts, we've generated 5,300 indirect jobs and we continue to recruit personnel because we have an order for 400 aircraft due to arrive by 2035 and so we need more crews. We have already received the first 100 aircraft. Half are being added to the fleet, which already consists of 533 aircraft, and the other half is to replace some of the fleet. To keep up that pace of growth we need more professionals.

–So what new developments are in your sights for the summer season in Malaga?

–I can assure you that there will be new developments, but I can't talk about them yet as they haven't been finalised. We are already putting the finishing touches to our summer campaign for all airports in the network, but it is not 100% signed off. Next summer we are going for growth on the back of our biggest summer ever this year. In Spain as a whole we want to continue growing and deploy more planes, although we are waiting to see if Aena will maintain the freeze on air taxes. The biggest expense on your ticket price is fuel and taxes. We ask that there be no tax increase to continue moving forward.

–What are the forecasts for passenger traffic numbers in the airport for the current year?

–Our financial year runs from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, and we expect a total of 6.7 million passengers for Malaga Airport. On our network for the whole of Spain we expect 55 million passengers, giving us a 24% market share. This winter we should see 2.8 million travellers pass through Malaga airport, 25% more than last year.

–Passenger data shows that winter numbers are almost matching those in summer...

–Yes, indeed. Furthermore, our strategy in Spain for the next two years involves further eradication of any seasonal dips and Malaga is one of the destinations to exploit every season. This strategy has worked very well in recent years. As a destination it not only offers a warmer climate in winter than in the rest of Europe, but also on cultural or gastronomic levels it has not stopped innovating. Many tourists come not only for the beach but also for good food and culture. That is why we are making this commitment to continue investing here, along with the trail being blazed for Malaga city as a tech hub.

–Are you already noticing the influx of the tech giants?

–It's noticeable. We see outbound travel by professional workers who, for example, are now going home for Christmas. It is no longer just inbound traffic of travellers coming to the Costa del Sol, it's also passengers leaving Malaga for other destinations in our network, many of them foreigners who live here as they work in the tech companies also now based here. This new flow is pushing out the seasonal dip so we can grow more in winter.

–How important is Malaga Airport for Ryanair?

–It's extremely important. It is in the top five of our network ops in Spain. The five big airports that we operate from are Madrid, Barcelona, Mallorca, Alicante and Malaga. The last three are where we see the greatest potential for growth. In the two largest ones it is more complicated to grow. Barcelona is totally congested and Madrid has a lot to offer but it is difficult to acquire slots. On the other hand, Malaga Airport has an excellent infrastructure, just like the city itself, which encourages us to offer more here. We also seek to grow in medium-sized regions. That's where the great potential is. Right now we have 95 aircraft based in Spain, but in ten years we could increase that number to 130.

–Within these expansion plans, does Ryanair foresee any long-haul destinations?

–-No. Long-haul is a different product that other airlines do very well and one in which we have no launch plans. We believe that we still have a lot of room for growth in Europe in the coming years. We have also invested in Morocco.

–What's a typical Ryanair passenger looking for when choosing the Costa del Sol?

–They are seeking to be taken from point A to point B as quickly as possible and as cheaply as possible. Here in Malaga we have 77 routes with 350 flights per week. The tourist is looking for the most flexibility to travel, and here they have it a-plenty.

–Which are the most popular destinations Ryanair flies to from Malaga?

–They would be the big cities across Europe, especially Dublin, London, Manchester and Milan. They hold top spots in both summer and winter.

–And what about the Christmas holidays?

–The most popular destinations specifically for the week leading up to New Year are Cologne, Treviso and Stockholm.