GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Ryanair blames falling passenger traffic and high airport charges for its decision to stop Dublin-Kerry and Dublin-Cork flights in the south of Ireland. The company says it will end the first in early September and the second in late October. Ireland’s greatly improved highway system has cut travel time by road in the south, and the company mentions this as a factor in falling traffic, reports the Irish Times.
Britain continues to suffer travel woes linked to cold, snowy, icy weather, with flights cancelled on the busiest travel day of the year, 23 December, trains suspended and icy road warnings out for much of the country, reports The Times, UK. The national weather service is forecasting improvements starting Christmas Day, 25 December. Meanwhile, Liverpool airport was forced to close, a Ryanair plane skidded off a runway but caused no injuries, and a record 116,000 motorists were helped by the Automobile Association.
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Effective 2 December, Ryanair will no longer fly to Basel, the budget airline announced Tuesday 10 November. The company has said that it offered Basel airport 13 additional flights and 200,000 more passengers per year if the airport reduced its airport fees. The airport refused.
Ryanair flies to six destinations from Basel. The company says the airport will lose 200 jobs as a result of the closure. Passengers with flights after 2 December will be contacted for a full refund, the company says.
