Ryanair to withdraw from Blackpool
Ryanair has announced its intention to cancel services from Blackpool after the airport announced plans to introduce an Airport Development Fee from January 5.
The airline will stop its daily flights to and from Dublin and its three services a week to Girona from January 4, unless the airport scraps the fee.
“This fee will be levied on all passengers without exception after that date and will substantially increase the cost of travel through this small regional airport which is totally dependent on low fares for its passenger traffic,” it said in a statement.
“Ryanair had engaged in discussions with the management of the airport in attempts to underline the negative effect this fee would have and urge them not to introduce the fee.
“However, now that the airport has decided to go ahead with the introduction of the fee, Ryanair will withdraw all its services from the airport.”
Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley added: “This is a black day for Blackpool International Airport. The management’s decision, against Ryanair’s advice, to introduce an Airport Development Fee is an extremely regressive step which inevitably involves a massive increase in the cost of travel for passengers through the airport.
“With this step, the management at Blackpool Airport have severely dented the economic prospects for the region which this airport serves and we call on them to reverse this decision immediately while there is still time to save the airport.â€
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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