WHAT MAKES THEM SO SPECIAL?

Ryanair's director Michael O'Leary threatened AENA (the airline governing body) with cutting the number of flights connecting the UK and Ireland with Reus and Girona airports unless AENA reduces costs for running from small airports. Reus and Girona are two airports located on the east coast of Spain.

Before Ryanair started flying from and to these airports there were barely any flights compared to some years later. Ryanair started flying to Reus in 2004, the increasment from 2003 to 2004 is quite noticeable.

INCREASMENT OF THE NUMBER OF PAX. FROM YEAR 1994 UNTIL YEAR 2010.

YEAR Pax.   Anual Increasment (%)
1994  323.515  -
1995  482.603  +49,2
1996  459.124  -4,9
1997  525.903  +14,5
1998  569.040  +8,2
1999  626.990  +10,2
2000  725.006  +15,6
2001  739.469  +2,0
2002  759.864    +2,8
2003  845.009 +11,2
2004  1.136.160 +34,5
2005  1.380.664   +21,5
2006  1.379.316 -0,1
2007  1.305.352 -5,4
2008  1.275.956 -2,3
2009  1.702.741   +33,4
2010  1.415.570   -16,9
Source: Reus Airport, AENA.

He is currently negociating with AENA over reducing costs.

Is this fair? Should an airline even have the right to negotiate with the airline governing body over paying less when the rest of the airlines won't even be listened to? What makes them so special?