Ryanair to cut Alicante by 80% from Oct-2011
Ryanair will reduce services out of Alicante El Altet Airport by 80% from Oct-2011 following a disagreement with AENA and the airport over the LCC's use of aerobridges (EuroWeeklyNews, 21-Jul-2011). AENA stated that in the busier summer months, all passengers must use aerobridges, which the LCC estimates will cost EUR2 million p/a. Ryanair rejected AENA's recent findings that it would only be safe to board and disembark by foot in the winter. Spokesman Steven McNamara said Ryanair will study this impact until the end of the summer 2012, or until the aerobridges restrictions in Alicante are lifted completely.
Ryanair: "Ryanair plans to cur the routes and flights in Alicante by 80% from this winter. This way one will be able to see the impact of the abusive decision by AENA to force Ryanair to use and pay for the costly and unnecessary aerobridges … Until now we have been boarding passengers in this way at El Altet airport with no problem and use this method in more than 140 airports in Spain and Europe all year round," Steven McNamara, spokesman. Source: EuroWeeklyNews, 21-Jul-2011