Ryanair's domination of low-cost Spanish air travel may soon be coming to an end, with another budget airline arriving on the scene and set to take the travel behemoth on.
Hungarian airline Wizz Air, a company which already has a significant presence in Spanish skies, is set to challenge Ryanair as the ‘low-cost’ king in and will compete with it on 87 routes in the country.
This comes as the Irish budget carrier said it will cut its winter schedule in Europe due to higher fuel costs caused by geopolitical instability sending oil prices soaring.
READ ALSO: Ryanair to cut winter flights in Europe to save on fuel costs
Wizz Air is already among the top airlines in terms of passenger numbers in Spain and is now the fastest-growing, with 50 percent more passengers this summer compared to 2025.
The Hungarian company's strategy was previously to operate where the Irish carrier did not, something that led it to take its ‘ultra-low-cost’ model to the Persian Gulf region.
Until now Ryanair has never had a rival in Spain capable of replicating its low-cast strategy, but Wizz Air will now compete with the Irish carrier on routes in Spain and, on many of them, hopes to put an end to the Ryanair monopoly.
According to reports in ABC, this represents a pivot, however: "geopolitical instability in the region and certain local obstacles reported by the airline led [CEO] József Váradi’s management team last year to backtrack and refocus on Eastern and Central Europe, and now also on the south of the continent, where Spain stands as a major focus for expansion."
Having carried 7 million passengers between January and July – almost as many as it carried in the whole of the previous year – the airline will exceed 200 routes in Spain this winter, operating from 21 Spanish airports, with many in direct competition with Ryanair.
In November it will open bases in Madrid and Valencia, two of the most important hubs for Ryanair in Spain.
The Hungarian firm will also enter the fray to compete on domestic routes, including those traditionally dominated by Iberia and Air Europa, such as Madrid–Palma.
But the real showdown is between Wizz Air and Ryanair, experts say.
Romà Andreu, a lecturer at EAE and UOC and an expert in the aviation sector, told ABC that Ryanair and Wizz are the "two ‘low-cost’ airlines that are going to try to control the market".
"Ryanair is complaining a great deal about the Spanish authorities and the rise in charges; it has scaled back its operations in Spain to focus on other markets, and Wizz Air has spotted the opportunity to establish itself, compete against Ryanair and score a point in its battle with the Irish carrier," Andreu added.
Wizz Air’s strategy also seems to be taking heavily from the Ryanair playbook, with many routes going to Luton, one of London’s secondary airports which competes with Stansted, Ryanair’s main hub.
"So, I believe what we’re seeing here is Wizz Air positioning itself, once again, to stand in opposition to – or, I would say, compete with – Ryanair, which is its biggest rival," Andreu adds.
Package deals could also soon make up more of the Hungarian rival's offering: "Just as Ryanair has done, Wizz Air has created a holiday package structure that includes flights and hotels or package holiday deals".
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