Ryanair is set to drop 17 routes from Dublin airport during the winter season this year.
Budget airline Ryanair is one of Ireland’s most popular flight operators, but it is set to drop 17 of its routes from Dublin Airport this winter season.
Ryanair has pointed an accusatory finger at Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) for its “mismanagement” of the airport.
The decision will undoubtedly affect thousands of passengers during the always-busy Christmas period.
DAA mismanagement – why Ryanair has dropped 17 routes
The loss of 17 routes will undoubtedly cause worry among travellers, particularly those needing to travel to spend Christmas with families abroad.
Ryanair, however, has made clear its inability to work with DAA, who it says has “a history of mismanagement at Dublin Airport”.
In particular, Ryanair has highlighted DAA’s decision to raise passenger charges by a “ludicrous” 45%, and its unwillingness to offer a financial rewards scheme to incentivise the use of lower-emission aircraft.
As such, on top of the loss of 17 routes, Ryanair will also relocate its entire “Gamechanger” fleet of 19 environmentally friendly aircraft to alternative EU airports that offer greater incentives.
On top of the mentioned gripes, Ryanair also accused DAA of “understaffing summer security, wasting taxpayers’ money on ill-thought-out infrastructure projects, and failing to support low-cost access and sustainable growth”.
The 17 dropped routes – making European travel difficult this winter
All of the 17 routes dropped by Ryanair are to European destinations, including cities in Spain, Germany, and France.
Of particular concern is the loss of Polish, Romanian, and other Eastern European destinations, due to the considerable diaspora of those nationalities in Ireland, who may wish to travel home for Christmas.
The full list of dropped routes is as follows:
- Asturias, Spain
- Billund, Denmark
- Bournemouth, UK
- Carcassonne, France
- Castellón, Spain
- Genova, Italy
- Klagenfurt, Austria
- Košice, Slovakia
- Leipzig, Germany
- Nuremberg, Germany
- Palanga, Lithuania
- Palermo, Italy
- Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Santiago, Spain
- Sibiu, Romania
- Suceava, Romania
- Szczecin, Poland
DAA hits back – group says Ryanair’s claims are false
DAA has refuted Ryanair’s allegations, claiming that passenger charges are handled by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). Moreover, it claimed that the charges are set to rise by just six per cent, not the 45% claimed by the airline.
However, charges are indeed set to reach a 45% increase by 2026, and Ryanair later clarified that they based their statement on these figures.
DAA chief executive Kenny Jacobs also seemed to deny Ryanair’s claim of a lack of environmental incentives for lower-emission aircraft.
In a statement, Jacobs said, “I am baffled why any airline with sustainability ambitions would choose to turn down the opportunity to operate lower CO2 emission and less noisy aircraft at Dublin Airport by turning down the new discount schemes”.
