Ryanair to expand Irish domestic routes, serve Belfast?

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19 years 5 months

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http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqid=8286-qqqx=1.asp

Ryanair is in talks with four Irish airports about new routes to Dublin and could announce these routes as early as next month, according to the airline's chief executive, Michael O'Leary.

The airline is also in discussions with Belfast International Airport with a view to setting up operations there as soon as British Airways leaves the airport, O'Leary said.

“In Ireland the airports that will fit our planes are Knock, Kerry, Shannon and Derry.

“Are they all looking for a domestic flight to Dublin? Yes they are. Will they get one? We have no idea until someone comes up with a package that's better.”

O'Leary said he could not say for certain when the next domestic routes would be opened - “it will be whenever the airports come up with a competitive package. That could be October, or that could be October of two years time.”

He said there was no chance of Ryanair running any flights to Galway Airport as the runway was too short for the airline's Boeing 737s. O'Leary said the airline's recent decision to launch a Cork-Dublin service was not taken purely to launch Ryanair into Ireland's domestic market.

“Last month we had no intention of doing a Cork-Dublin route,” he said. “But one of the reasons that we chose Cork-Dublin was because we wanted to base an aircraft at Cork and do Cork-Gatwick to compete with EasyJet.

“And if you do two Gatwicks, the choice is then do you do two something elses, or do you find a short sector and do three. So instead of getting four flights a day you get five, and that's what we have now.”

Ryanair is hopeful of launching flights from Belfast in the future, O'Leary said.

“We are not there because the airport has had this strange relationship with British Airways. British Airways threatened Belfast about five or six years ago: ‘If you let Ryanair in we will pull out.’

“But now British Airways are going to pull out anyway, and when they announce they are pulling out, the airport will be all over us like a rash. And they will give us the cost deal we deserve.”

O'Leary said that some of Ryanair's planned route launches for later this year might be held up by the strike at plane-manufacturer Boeing.

“We are now waiting on seven planes,’' O'Leary said. “But we are lucky because most of the early deliveries were to replace our old planes, so it is relatively easy to extend our older planes.”

O'Leary said that if the strike went into November or December Ryanair's passenger numbers for the final quarter of the year could be 25,000 fewer than predicted. “If the strike was to roll on for six months, into next March or April, then growth would be interrupted rather than it costing us money,” he said. “But there is no prospect of that.”

O'Leary said that Ryanair could not claim any compensation from Boeing because the terms of its delivery contract with the manufacturer indemnified Boeing against strike action.

Original post

Member for

19 years 8 months

Posts: 598

Someone please tell me British Airway's destinations from Belfast International?

I can count 1, Jersey, and even that is summer season only?

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,213

Indeed and BHD is too small for them. Anyway Belfast Intl is offically full!!

Maybe he meant Derry as they have a DUB route [BA]?

Member for

24 years 2 months

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Doesn't Aer Arran do most of these routes and is MOL trying to close them down ?

Member for

19 years 5 months

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I dont think he'll close them down unless he can fly to the Isle Of Man

Member for

24 years 2 months

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Humberside, no - way easy to kill them. IOM is just about only Airport FR cannot fly to on their network. They can't just survive on just IOM and wont survive price wars with FR given they charge alot more for the same service!

Cant work out what FR is on about here about Belfast and neither can anyone i know. MontyP heard anything?

Member for

20 years 1 month

Posts: 409

Maby they will fly belfast to blackpool or routes like that whick easyjet dont fly??

Im not sure but would easyjet not be to much compition for FR?

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 139

Strange comments indeed from MOL! - maybe he meant Easyjet and not British Airways! - sorry only jesting. However, I've heard from a few sources within the industry that the once enviable rapport between BFS and Easyjet is now in the distant past and currently relations between the two are somewhat "frosty" to say the least.

It would seem Easyjet are more than a little concerned about the impact increasing competition from BHD is having on some of their core routes out of BFS and forthcoming expansion at LDY from FR is likely to compund the problem. This perhaps would go someway towards explaining BFS's legal challenge to the lifting of the absurd passenger cap at BHD in a last ditch attempt at preventing further expansion there.

One thing's for sure, a loss of Easyjet at BFS would be nothing short of disastrous - even if FR did come on stream, MOL would only pick certain lucrative routes.

Andrew, can you elaborate on why BHD would be too small? Do you mean in terms of runway length or ramp space? MOL could operate 738s as he does at LDY with reduced payload and BHD's ramp could easily accommodate a 738!

Member for

24 years 2 months

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at BHD it would mean remote stands for 737s as on the new and old terminal there are i think its 3 or 4 (Def min 3) stands for that size aircraft but bmi use 1 and at certain times of each day 2 leaving the other 1 or 2. The rest are occupied apart from a 2-3hr period by BA, flybe aer arann. Just too small for stands. Also 738s would struggle to get out full whereas BFS he wouldnt have to. Landing fees higher too and airport is open 0700 to 2130 period.

Easyjet are starting to get way to cocky in NI and are tripping up. Making some amazingly big mistakes with PR etc as Mark and I can testify to!

Member for

20 years 1 month

Posts: 152

Rumour last year was that FR were looking at using the old terminal building at BHD and its relevant (and remaining) stands, but the idea collapsed when it was realised just how much work was needed to be done to get the old terminal back into a usable state. Perhaps there were other reasons too (leaving aside the very important one about runway length). The old apron would certainly hold two or three 737s even now, but would that be enough to bring this notion back onto the table? Your thoughts .......

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,213

Old Apron cannot hold any 737s if the bmis were to still pass to the A1 hold. Bmi are a better customer at BHD and would be given priority given the amount biz class spend there. Also Bmi OWN the air bridge and thats another reason to give them priority.

The Old Terminal is usable (trust me on this one) but not for Loco pax or on any scale more than a daily 737 given various bits and bobs its used for now. FR according to BHD management have never looked there. They HAVE spoken to EGAA.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,064

We Can only hope it's speculation that ryanair will be expanding services, in my opinion low cost airlines are monsters, most airports in the UK are clogged up with Ryanair, easyjet etc... and without them we could see much more varied smaller airlines.

Member for

20 years 10 months

Posts: 9,401

Who charge much more for flights, and wouldn't to operate to such varied destinations.

Low cost airlines are the best things that ever happened IMO.