Ryanair announced this Wednesday 11 new routes at the Porto airport and eight at Faro, for the summer, adding a total of 164 routes in Portugal, as well as two new aircraft at each of those airports.
“We are launching our biggest ever program for the summer in Portugal, which includes four new planes, two in Porto and two in Faro,” announced the CEO of the Irish airline, Michael O’Leary, at a press conference, in Lisbon.
The schedule provides for 11 new routes in Porto and eight new ones in Faro, in an investment of 400 million euros, but, according to the person in charge, there will be no growth in Lisbon, “because TAP continues to block ‘slots’ [faixas horárias] that he does not use and does not plan to use”.
“We do not have new routes in Lisbon, it is not possible, we do not have room to continue growing and, therefore, we continue to ask for a second airport, Montijo, which for us is the best option”, stressed the person in charge of transport for Portugal. and Spain, Elena Cabrera.
Ryanair said, however, that it “continues to invest heavily in Portugal”, with growth of 13% in summer, compared to the same period in 2022, with the aim of reaching 13 million passengers transported in the fiscal year of 2024.
Michael O’Leary also said the government should fight against the extension of environmental taxes to peripheral areas of the European Union, arguing that they are “unfair” to regions like Madeira and the Azores, which he believes will end up losing visitors. other areas outside the EU, such as Morocco or Turkey.
Regarding the reprivatization of TAP, the Ryanair leader expressed his conviction that the Portuguese airline will be sold this year, “probably” to the IAG group, and not to Air France or Lufthansa.
Asked about the impacts of inflation, O’Leary said that Ryanair ticket prices should increase this summer by between 5% and 10% compared to the previous one, “provided that there are no more adverse events”, after a pandemic and a war in Europe.
Asked about the location of the new training center in the Iberian Peninsula, whose decision should have been made known in January, the Ryanair president submitted a decision in mid-February.
“At the moment it seems that it will be Porto, but Madrid have made one last offer,” which is being analysed, explained Michael O’Leary.
Source: TSF
