New flights take off from Bristol Airport
Budget airline Ryanair officially launched 11 new flights out of Bristol Airport yesterday but warned that there are likely to be no new routes in the near future.
The airline now has 29 routes operating out of Lulsgate and four planes permanently based in Bristol, compared with big rival easyJet who operate 39 routes from the airport.
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The recession has hit the airport with passenger numbers falling by over 20 per cent since the start of the year but the Irish-owned budget airline is confident the new routes will prove to be a success.
All the new flights are to so-called sunshine destinations aimed at holidaymakers and there are no guarantees that the new destinations will not be shelved at the end of the summer.
The first new flight took off for Seville yesterday and the other destinations include Cagliari, in Sardinia, Barcelona, Montpellier in the South of France and Toulon in France along with Alicante in southern Spain, Perpignan in France and Rimini in Italy. The airline is also flying to Trieste in Italy, and Malta.
Despite the downturn, Ryanair is confident that the new routes will be popular with customers. Spokeswoman Maria Macken said yesterday: "The first flight has already taken off and we are more than satisfied with passenger numbers. We are sure that the demand is there and we are looking forward to a successful summer.
"We have now invested $280 million in Bristol Airport and it is becoming a very important centre for us, today is all about the new routes and we will be publishing our winter schedule in September."
When pressed about plans for Bristol in the future the airline was reluctant to make any commitment to adding further routes.
Yesterday the airline opened its latest base at Porto in Portugal but Michael O'Leary the outspoken boss of Ryanair is known to be furious at the UK government's plans for a £10 tourist tax.
Ryanair said it would "freeze growth at its nine UK bases with immediate effect".
"While the UK keeps taxing tourists Ryanair will switch its growth to other EU countries where low cost airports are growing and where governments are welcoming tourists not taxing them," Michael O'Leary said.
9 Comments
by Phill, Bristol
Friday, July 10 2009, 9:23AM
“I used to regularly fly to Dinard from Lulsgate. The extremely popular route was the cancelled by ryan air after about a year, with no notice. It was always full and never short of passengers, There is now no direct route to Brittany from Bristol, Nearest is Cardiff or Exeter with a rival airline. Very dissapointed. Ryanair still fly to the airport, just not from Bristol.”
by Chunky the Monkey, Bristol
Sunday, July 05 2009, 5:15PM
“Flyglobespan launched a weekly service to Toronto last summer but it ceased after a couple of weeks. Anyone know why?”
by Andrew, Napanee,Canada
Sunday, July 05 2009, 11:17AM
“Some flights to and from Canada would be perfect. I know I'm a dreamer.”
by none ya, brizle
Saturday, July 04 2009, 4:57PM
“get sum more long haul flights goin on ffs”
by Chunky, The Monkey, Bristol
Saturday, July 04 2009, 4:54PM
“MendipMan... you said a little while ago that Ryanair would be announcing new routes from Bristol in July. I guess this isnt happening now but where did you get this info from?
I would like to see Ryanair or Easyjet opening up routes to Scandinavian countries.... but that's just me!”
by derek, Nuremburg
Saturday, July 04 2009, 1:27PM
“Mr O´leary.Whencan we see flights from Bristol to Nuremburg.I could then visit my children and their families instead of having to go to Stansted and having to pay more for bus/rail to Bristol than the cost of the air fare from Nuremburg.(Easy Jet,Air Berlin).I live forever in hope!!!”
by MendipMan, Wurzel Country
Saturday, July 04 2009, 11:06AM
“Ryanair regularly sends out mixed messages. Days after its assertion that it would freeze growth at its nine UK bases because it doesn't like the UK government's tax passenger tax regime, Michael O'Leary (the airline's CEO) was telling a Manchester business forum that the airline intended further growth at Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol.
This came a few months after Liverpool was highlighted by Ryanair as a base which was likely to see cutbacks in Ryanair's route network because of the government's tax regime.
Ryanair doesn't like its own government's stance on passenger tax either. Because of this it has reduced services out of Dublin and Shannon airports.
With Ryanair though it's a case of one message today and a different one tomorrow.
Clearly some of the new Bristol routes won't operate this winter and it will be intriguing to see what the airline does with its extra based aircraft there.
Incidentally, the new route to Barcelona is one of Ryanair's Barcelonas. The airport served is actually Reus. Ryanair already flies daily from Bristol to another of its Barcelonas - Girona. easyJet flies daily to Barcelona proper from Lulsgate.”
by Sally, Failand
Saturday, July 04 2009, 10:34AM
“Nicky MOVE.”
by nicky, Bristol
Saturday, July 04 2009, 10:17AM
“Yet more planes flying over my house. The Joy!!!”