Ryanair this Wednesday announced 11 new routes at Porto airport and eight at Faro for the summer, bringing a total of 164 routes in Portugal, as well as two new aircraft at each of those airports.
“We are launching our largest-ever timetable for the summer in Portugal, with four new aircraft, two in Porto and two in Faro,” the Irish airline’s executive president Michael O’Leary announced at a press conference in Lisbon.
The scheme foresees 11 new routes in Porto and eight new in Faro, in an investment of 400 million euros, but according to the official there will be no growth in Lisbon, “because TAP continues to block slots [faixas horárias] which he does not use and does not intend to use”.
“We don’t have new routes in Lisbon, it’s not possible, we don’t have room to grow further and that’s why we keep asking for a second airport, Montijo, which is the best option for us,” emphasized the person in charge is for the carrier for Portugal and Spain, Elena Cabrera.
However, Ryanair said it “continues to invest heavily in Portugal”, growing 13% in the summer, compared to the same period in 2022, aiming to reach 13 million passengers carried in fiscal year 2024.
Michael O’Leary also said the government should fight the extension of environmental taxes to peripheral areas of the European Union, arguing they are “unfair” to regions like Madeira and the Azores, which he says will eventually lose visitors to other areas outside the EU, such as Morocco or Turkey.
Regarding the reprivatization of TAP, Ryanair’s leader expressed his belief that the Portuguese airline will “probably” be sold to the IAG group this year, and not to Air France or Lufthansa.
Asked about the impact of inflation, O’Leary said ticket prices on Ryanair should rise by 5% to 10% this summer compared to last, “provided there are no more adverse events”, following a pandemic and a war in Europe.
Asked about the location of the new training center in the Iberian Peninsula, the decision of which should have been made in January, Ryanair’s president referred a decision to mid-February.
“At the moment it looks like it will be Porto, but Madrid have made a final offer,” which is being analyzed, explained Michael O’Leary.
Source: DN
