Irish budget airline Ryanair on Wednesday said it would slash more than one million winter seats in Spain over "excessive airport fees", sparking "extortion" accusations from the national airport operator.

The row is the latest clash in an ongoing spat between the carrier and Spanish authorities that erupted last year after the leftist government fined Ryanair 107.8 million euros for "abusive practices" such as charging for hand luggage.

Ryanair said in a statement that the cuts, which affect destinations including the popular Atlantic holiday island of Tenerife, were "due to excessive and uncompetitive airport fees" applied by state-owned airport operator Aena.

"These cuts will harm already vulnerable Spanish regional airports even more, and inevitably lead to a loss of investment, con

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