Ryanair to cut flights this winter
30.06.10
Ryanair is to cut its UK winter capacity by 16% from November when it launches its winter schedule, and Stansted capacity by 17%, blaming a rise in the Government’s air passenger duty. A spokesman said that the move would lower costs and boost profits, and will result in the loss of over 2 million passengers at UK airports.
The budget airline will switch two Stansted based aircraft to lower cost European bases this winter, where Governments have scrapped ‘tourist taxes’ and reduced charges. Ryanair will base 22 aircraft in Stansted compared with 24 last year, with 135 fewer weekly flights and a loss of up to 1.5 million passengers, and an unspecified number of job losses at the airport.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the move will save £10 million (€12 million) this year. He added that the airline is not cutting services at Edinburgh or Leeds Bradford where airport authorities ‘are working with us’ to increase numbers, declining to specify where the other cuts will be.
He said: ‘The UK’s tourist tax and BAA’s high airport charges are damaging UK tourism and the British economy generally. Independent capacity analysis shows that growth has returned to the Belgian, Dutch and Spanish markets after their Governments scrapped tourist taxes and / or reduced airport charges, in some cases to zero, in order to stimulate tourism and jobs.’
He also said Ryanair would sue for compensation for the £50m worth of losses it suffered from the decision to close European air space because of the Icelandic volcano in April. However, so far it was not clear who should be sued, he added !
Mr O’Leary also launched an attack on the newly-appointed Conservative transport secretary Philip Hammond for his declaration that domestic flights in the UK would be replaced by rail travel. He also criticised the Government's decision to abandon the plan to build a new runway at Heathrow, saying: ‘We don’t believe that you should build new airports. We do believe that you should build more runways at existing airports.’
Add to: del.icio.us | Digg it | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
To book stansted airport hotel or stansted airport car park at the lowest price, click on these links to two great stansted airport car parking and stansted airport hotel price comparison pages.
