30 July 2009

Canaries winter push by Ryanair

A raft of routes from the Canary Islands are being opened by Ryanair as the no-frills carrier switches aircraft away from Stansted and Dublin.

A total of 39 new routes will run this winter from three islands.

The services will start in October from Gran Canaria (16), Lanzarote (15) and Tenerife (eight).

The carrier believes the new routes will bring two million new passengers, create 2,000 jobs and deliver a visitor spend of more than €386 million for the Islands.

The expansion in the Canary Islands is due to "zero" tourist taxes in Spain and the 100% discount on airport charges this winter.

This contrasts with route cutbacks announced in the UK and Ireland where airport charges at Dublin and Stansted are increasing and the Irish and UK Governments have imposed suicidal tourist taxes of €10 and £10 respectively, the airline said.

The airline released 20,000 free seats for travel to/from the Canary Islands from October 26 until December 19, available for booking until midnight on August 5.

The carrier’s deputy chief executive Michael Cawley said: "These 39 new routes are the result of the 100% discount offered by AENA on its airport charges.

"The continuation of these routes past the 31^st March 2010 will be dependent on the extension of these vital discounts.

"We are confident that in the current climate of reduced traffic and tourism in Spain and the Canary Islands that the Spanish government will see the wisdom of extending low airport costs not just in the Canary Islands but throughout Spain."

by Phil Davies

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Ryanair games

How strange that Ryanair is boosting flights from the Canaries because of the tax situation in the UK + Ireland, but two thirds of the new flights are to the, erm, UK and Ireland...

By W Shearer, Thursday, July 30, 2009