Turbulent times as Ryanair cuts capital winter flights by a third

Published on Wednesday 22 July 2009 21:58

THE number of Ryanair flights on sale this winter from Scotland's busiest airport has been reduced by more than a third, The Scotsman has learned.

The no-frills airline is to cut the number of flights on eight of its routes from Edinburgh from late October.

A question mark remains over a further 11 of its 29 routes from the airport, where booking for winter flights is not available.

The cuts threaten to reverse modest growth over the last three months at the airport, which is already bracing itself for the loss of Delta's daily New York flights in September.

News of the cuts come a day after the airline announced it was reducing the number of aircraft at Stansted, its main base, by 40 per cent. Cutbacks for the winter schedule, which starts in late October, are also feared at Prestwick, Ryanair's other main Scottish airport.

The routes are in doubt from Edinburgh because no winter booking is available are to Altenburg, Bologna, Cagliari, Carcassonne, Haugesund, Limoges, Marseille, Palma, Poitiers, Wroclaw and Zadar.

Those which have had flight frequencies reduced are to Alicante, Bratislava, Bremen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Malaga, Pisa and Shannon.

The reductions follow rapid expansion by Ryanair at Edinburgh, where the number of routes has quadrupled in a year.

Ryanair had hoped to carry 1.8 million passengers on Edinburgh flights this year – or one in five using the airport.

Travel experts said Ryanair was expected to slim down its Scottish operations.

Brian Potter, air convener of the Scottish Passenger Agents Association, which represents travel agents, said: "There is no doubt there are likely to be more cuts."

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, has blamed the government's air passenger duty – which increases by 1 to 11 for European flights in November – for its Stansted decision. He has threatened to switch aircraft to other European countries which have abolished similar taxes.

However, aviation experts said passengers cutting back on leisure travel because of the recession was the biggest factor in cutting demand for flights.

A spokesman for Ryanair said its winter timetable had still to be completed, and may take until mid-September. He said: "Nothing is being announced at the moment because we are still looking at the winter schedule for all our airports. Edinburgh has been doing very well."

The spokesman said discussions were continuing with several airports which had to be concluded before bookings for those routes could open.

BAA said airlines normally reduced capacity during the quieter winter months. A spokesman said the Ryanair routes currently on sale "do not represent the totality of their winter programme".

STANDING ROOM

TWO thirds of passengers responding to an online poll by Ryanair said they would stand for a one-hour flight if it was free.

The airline said the option was backed by more than 80,000 people in the survey, which followed its plans to remove some seats so aircraft could carry more passengers.

However, 58 per cent said they would not stand for a half-price fare.

Ryanair has admitted safety issues would have to be resolved, and the testing of its plans with planemaker Boeing was at least three years away.