Ryanair cuts Dublin capacity
Friday, 13 Feb, 2009
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Ryanair is to reduce flights by its Dublin base this summer with the loss of 200 jobs.
The number of aircraft based at the airport will be cut from 22 to 18 resulting in an 18% reduction in weekly flight rotations.
Flights to Manchester, Leeds/Bradford and Barcelona will be affected this summer.
Further cuts have been threatened for next winter as the carrier protests against airport charges and a planned €10 Irish government tourist tax.
Ryanair estimates the actions will result in a 20% drop in its Dublin traffic from 10.8 million to 8.7 million passengers in 2009/10.
CEO Michael O’Leary said: “The decision by the Irish government to introduce a flat rate €10 tourist tax from April is nothing less than “tourism suicide”.
“This travel tax when introduced (appropriately on April Fools Day) will exacerbate the traffic decline at Dublin, as price sensitive visitors will avoid Ireland and choose other lower cost destinations.
“Ryanair has repeatedly called for this tax to be made fairer by making it a percentage of the air fare paid, or alternatively why not scrap the tax altogether and generate equivalent savings by closing quangos like Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland which spend over €150m p.a., but deliver few if any visitors.
“This travel tax has already failed in the UK and Dutch markets, where they caused traffic declines and sadly the Irish government’s tourist tax is doomed to a similar failure.
“This government must realise you can only promote tourism by welcoming visitors, not taxing them.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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