Budget flights to Spain to be withdrawn

Ryanair is to withdraw more than half of its routes from Alicante after disagreements over the cost of facilities. They also plan to decrease the number of airplanes at the airport from 11 to just two, cutting the number of flights by nearly 80%.

The airline will be cancelling the routes between Alicante and Bournemouth, Derry, Cork and Knock from October, while flights to Birmingham, Leeds-Bradford, Edinburgh, Prestwick, Dublin and East Midlands will become less frequent.

Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary has suggested that these changes will cost the airport over €30 million a year in revenue and lead to the loss of more than 2,000 jobs and 2.5 million passengers.

The dispute has come about as a result of a rise in handling fees of over €2 million imposed by the airport operator AENA. Ryanair has filed a formal complaint with the Spanish government.