Ryanair proceeds to cut routes but saves Shannon flights

Ryanair, one of the top two discount carriers in Europe, has decided to cut several of its routes, but has at the same time decided to maintain its presence at Ireland’s Shannon Airport, despite previous speculation that it would pull out of this hub. Ryanair has, however, confirmed that it would cancel its daily service from Cork to Glasgow, as well as from Cork to the East Midlands airport. The Irish discount airline’s outspoken chief executive officer, Michael O’Leary, pointed squarely at Cork Airport, noting that local officials simply charged fees that were much too high. O’Leary referred to an apparent 20 percent hike in airport fees and noted that this, in combination with steep fuel prices, means that it has become exceedingly difficult for Ryanair to turn a profit on these routes.

The termination of these flights from the Cork Airport, however, represents just a small handful of the 250 flight cancellations that Ryanair has announced in the past several weeks. Ryanair and easyJet-both of which are popular low cost carriers that compete on dozens of European routes-seem to be following broadly similar strategies when it comes to these cutbacks. EasyJet recently announced  that it would axe 12 percent of its departures from London’s Stansted Airport. Even major full-service airlines, like British Airways, have been forced to suspend flights, due to the current economic slump and near record high fuel prices.

Thank you to David Millward of The Telegraph for the initial report.

www.ryanair.com