Ryanair Announces Temporary Closure of Operations at Basel

[White Cap]

Ryanair-Nachrichten
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News Release
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17.07.08
Ryanair Announces Temporary Closure of Operations at Basel

Ryanair, Europe’s leading low fares airline, today, 17th July, announced the temporary closure of its operations at Basel airport for the period from Tuesday, 4th November until Friday, 18th December. This closure will involve the cancellation of 204 flights and a reduction in passenger traffic at the airport of 31,000.

Ryanair explained the decision to close its operations at Basel and cancel these flights at the airport for the following reasons;

- Costs at the airport are among the most expensive in Europe and far outweigh the potential revenue which passengers are prepared to pay, particularly during the winter period.
- With oil at $140 a barrel, flights at expensive airports like Basel must be reduced this winter when fares continue to be very low.

Ryanair confirmed that it had written to Basel seeking a reduction on the costs of these flights this winter but this proposal has been rejected. The loss of this passenger traffic will now cost the airport authority significant commercial revenue and the region up to €3.2m in lost tourism revenue.

Announcing this closure, Ryanair’s Deputy Chief Executive, Michael Cawley, said;

“We very much regret temporarily closing our operations at Basel during this November and December period. However, a combination of high airport charges at Basel and the massive increases which we face in fuel prices, makes it more profitable for Ryanair to ground aircraft rather than fly them at Basel during this period.

These flights and the 31,000 passengers would not be lost to Basel or Swiss tourism if Basel had responded to Ryanair’s proposals for cost reductions on these flights for the winter season.

Ryanair, with the lowest costs and lowest guaranteed fares in Europe, is the only airline capable of retaining year round international tourism and business links for regional cities such as Basel. However, low airport costs are required to sustain these operations, particularly through the low yielding months in the winter. In the absence of these low costs, Ryanair has no alternative but to cancel these routes and develop its business elsewhere.

We will continue our discussions with the airport authorities in order to convince them that this type of interruption to our services need not happen if costs are reduced and hopefully we can develop an agreement on how they can support the year round continuation of our services on a viable basis for the benefit of the airport and the region it serves.”



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[Horrido]

@White Cap

allready known ! Check thread from heinz-w

rgds Horrido

P.s a/c must fly for V... !