Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is to open 39 new Spanish routes in 2009 despite a sharp drop in tourism due to the global economic crisis, chief executive Michael O'Leary said Tuesday.

"At a time when traffic to and from Spain is collapsing, particularly at the major Spanish airports, including Madrid and Barcelona, Ryanair is still the one airline in Spain growing rapidly," he said.

Ryanair's overall traffic will grow by about 15 percent this year from 58 million to 67 million passengers, said O’Leary at a news conference in Madrid.

"A significant amount of that growth is already allocated to Spain where in 2009 alone, Ryanair will open up 39 new routes to and from eight Spanish airports – Alicante, Girona, Granada, Ibiza, Palma, Reus, Santander and Sevilla."