Ryanair to introduce 14 routes and expand two bases
600,000
People to be affected by Manchester changes
Ryanair plans to start 14 new routes this winter and expand its bases at both Dusseldorf Weeze and Madrid, it said yesterday.
The low-cost carrier said that it will launch eight new routes from Edinburgh during October and November, and that they will include destinations such as Charleroi in Belgium, Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
Two new routes will be added to its Dusseldorf Weeze base, which it had threatened to close earlier this year following a dispute over airport operational times. A further four new routes will commence from Madrid, all of them to Morocco.
Last week, Ryanair scrapped nine out of ten routes at Manchester airport, the UK's fourth largest airport. The decision will take effect in October.
The flights will shift to East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Liverpool airports, which charge lower landing fees per passenger.
The airline said 44 weekly flights and about 600,000 passengers a year will be affected, with Manchester to Dublin the only surviving route.
Earlier this month Ryanair said it will open a new base at Leeds Bradford next March, bringing the carrier's total number of bases to 34.
Two aircraft will be based at the airport, which already handles Ryanair flights to three destinations.
Shares in Ryanair closed up 3.3pc, or 10c, at €3.14 yesterday.
- John Mulligan
