Ryanair closes base at Valencia
27-Oct-2008 |
Airline Code [RYR]
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Tags :UK, Ryanair
Ryanair announced the closure of its base at Valencia following the refusal of the Comunitat Valenciana to engage in constructive discussions in relation to the promotion of the airport and its routes across Ryanair’s network in Europe.
The closure will lead to a loss of over 70 weekly Ryanair flights, 750,000 passengers p.a. and over 750 jobs in the region.
Ryanair announced its new base in Valencia in Aug-07 and has increased its passenger traffic by over 25% this year to an expected annual outcome of 1.5m passengers (out of a total of 6m at the airport).
Since the establishment of the base, Ryanair has been seeking to cooperate with the tourism department of the Comunitat Valenciana with a view to promoting the region across Europe. At the same time as the Comunitat Valenciana was telling Ryanair that no funds were available for such cooperative activity, they were granting a EUR12m award of marketing support to the local airline, Air Nostrum, who delivered neither growth nor international passengers to the region. Furthermore, the Comunitat Valenciana ignored Ryanair’s request for engagement on these important promotional issues and indeed more recently turned down all reasonable requests for meetings.
Ryanair’s Deputy Chief Executive, Michael Cawley, said:
“This is a very black day for the airport of Valencia and the city and region which it serves. Ryanair had begun to transform this once overlooked region of Spanish tourism into a powerhouse of growth and development. Without any assistance or cooperation from the local tourism board, Ryanair has already shown the possibilities which are uniquely available through its low fares. However, the naked subsidisation by the Comunitat Valenciana of competitor airlines at the expense of Ryanair and the refusal by the same party to engage in any meaningful discussion with Ryanair have meant that continuation of our base at the airport is untenable. We have already received numerous enquiries right across Europe and we will be announcing a new base elsewhere next week with these two aircraft.
We will maintain limited operations to Valencia Airport from other bases and should the Comunitat Valenciana wish to engage with Ryanair in the future, we would be prepared to commence sensible discussions and indeed if conditions were appropriate to even recommence a base operation at Valencia.”
(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 27-Oct-08
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Ryanair closes base at Valencia 
