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24/10/2008
Ryanair To Close Valencia Base
The budget airline Ryanair - which flies both George Best Belfast City Airport and from City of Derry Airport - has announced it is to close its base at Valencia, Spain, which will result in the loss of 70 weekly flights.
The Irish budget carrier flew from Valencia to various destinations, including Stansted, East Midlands and Liverpool.
The move follows a row with the local Spanish council over the allocation of funds.
The airline says it will be scrapping all of its flights from the city, which are currently used by around 750,000 passengers every year.
The flights operate on 10 routes and will result in the loss of around 750 jobs, according to the airline.
Rarely out of the news, the airline's Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary recently called on the European Commission to reconsider an earlier prohibition of Ryanair's offer for the purchase of former state-run Aer Lingus - noting that consolidation was taking place among other airlines.
The low-cost operator also wanted the EU to clampdown on fuel surcharges and so-called 'screenscraper ticket selling' as part of a range of measures that it claims would keep air fares low and encourage people to continue to fly during the recession.
"Ryanair has written to the European Commission drawing its attention to the fact that oil prices have fallen by over 50% in recent months, yet many high fares airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa and Aer Lingus have failed to reduce their unjustified fuel surcharges at all," said a statement.
According to Michael O Leary, the European airline industry is facing a more difficult operating climate than anytime over the past 50 years.
See: Ryanair Calls on EU to Reduce Regulatory Burden
(BMcC)
The Irish budget carrier flew from Valencia to various destinations, including Stansted, East Midlands and Liverpool.
The move follows a row with the local Spanish council over the allocation of funds.
The airline says it will be scrapping all of its flights from the city, which are currently used by around 750,000 passengers every year.
The flights operate on 10 routes and will result in the loss of around 750 jobs, according to the airline.
Rarely out of the news, the airline's Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary recently called on the European Commission to reconsider an earlier prohibition of Ryanair's offer for the purchase of former state-run Aer Lingus - noting that consolidation was taking place among other airlines.
The low-cost operator also wanted the EU to clampdown on fuel surcharges and so-called 'screenscraper ticket selling' as part of a range of measures that it claims would keep air fares low and encourage people to continue to fly during the recession.
"Ryanair has written to the European Commission drawing its attention to the fact that oil prices have fallen by over 50% in recent months, yet many high fares airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa and Aer Lingus have failed to reduce their unjustified fuel surcharges at all," said a statement.
According to Michael O Leary, the European airline industry is facing a more difficult operating climate than anytime over the past 50 years.
See: Ryanair Calls on EU to Reduce Regulatory Burden
(BMcC)
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