18-Aug-2009 9:12 AM
Ryanair to close nine of ten Manchester routes
Ryanair announced (17-Aug-09) plans to switch/close nine of its ten Manchester routes, effective 01-Oct-2009, to "lower cost competitor airports" in East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Liverpool, after Manchester Airport Group "refused to lower its charges to reflect the lower fares being paid by passengers in the current recession", according to Ryanair. The move will result in the loss of 44 weekly services (to Barcelona Girona, Bremen, Brussels Charleroi, Cagliari, Dusseldorf Weeze, Frankfurt Hahn, Marseille, Milan Bergamo and Shannon) and 600,000 passengers p/a. According to Ryanair, the LCC had offered Manchester an additional 28 weekly services and 400,000 new passengers if the airport reduced its charges. [more]