Ryanair to launch Luxembourg and Billund routes from Edinburgh

Ryanair will operate a record 58 routes from Edinburgh next summer. Picture: Neil Hanna

The Irish budget airline will also base a ninth aircraft in the capital.

It will continue nine other routes launched this autumn, but is dropping flights to Frankfurt Hahn.

The carrier is also adding Bydgoszcz in Poland from Aberdeen.

Ryanair expects to carry 6 per cent more passengers in Edinburgh next summer, increasing the total to 3.5 million a year.

Tickets for the routes go on sale today, with the airline not expecting sales to be affected by Brexit uncertainties.

Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs told The Scotsman: "The way people are planning their travelling is exactly the same as before.

"It is driven by price."

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Mr Jacobs said there had been no sign of a reduction in bookings from after next March, when the UK formally leaves the EU.

He said: "We think flights will continue, which is said with a bit of hope."

There will be three flights a week to Luxembourg and two a week to Billund, near Legoland.

The new winter routes which will continue are to Berlin, Derry, Lisbon, Memmingen, Riga, Seville, Sofia, Stockholm and Tallinn.

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Edinburgh Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said: “The continued expansion of Ryanair at Edinburgh is a huge sign of confidence in Scotland’s busiest airport and a show of strength in our relationship with one of Europe’s leading airlines – we’re also bucking the trend by announcing growth.

“What this expansion shows is the appetite to provide more destinations and greater connectivity to and from Scotland, both for leisure and business."

"But we know it could be so much more if the promised cut to [the Scottish Government's planned new] air departure tax was delivered to allow the aviation industry to really take-off and deliver even greater economic benefits for the country.”

Ministers want to halve the current Â£13 air passenger duty on flights from UK airports by replacing it with the new tax.

However, the plan has stalled by lack of political support and the need to maintain tax exemption for Inverness Airport.