10 YEARS OF RYANAIR AT BOURNEMOUTH
Ten years ago today (9th May) the champagne corks were popping as Ryanair launched its first route from Bournemouth Airport.
But a glance at the press release that was issued to mark the event shows just how much the airline industry has changed. The launch press release stated: “The airline will extend its low fares to the new route, and has pledged to make over 70% of all seats available at fares of £59 and £69 return.”
An advertisement in yesterday’s Daily Echo has the same flights priced at just £12.99 – less than 25% of the original price!
Following the successful launch of its daily service to Dublin in May 1996, Ryanair added a daily service to Frankfurt-Hahn in February 2002. In February 2003 the company introduced a daily service to Glasgow-Prestwick and later that year (October 2003) replaced the Frankfurt-Hahn route with a daily flight to Girona. Their fourth destination from Bournemouth starts early next month when they will be flying to Pisa three times a week.
Since its launch in May 1996, more than 1.5 million passengers have travelled on Ryanair’s Bournemouth routes.
Turning back to the launch press release it’s also clear just how much the airline has grown. In May 1996 Ryanair was operating a fleet of 11 Boeing 737 aircraft (130 seats) on a network of 13 scheduled routes between the UK and Ireland, together with a route between Glasgow and Stansted.
Today Ryanair operates 334 low fare routes across 23 countries. The airline has 15 European bases and operates an entire fleet of 107 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft (189 seats) with firm orders for a further 127 new aircraft, which will be delivered over the next 6 years. Ryanair currently employs a team of 2,700 people and will carry in excess of 40 million scheduled passengers this year.
Commenting on Ryanair’s 10th anniversary at Bournemouth Airport, Managing Director Peter Duffy said:
"We are delighted to have built up such a good working relationship with Ryanair over the past ten years, and everyone working at the airport is to be congratulated for making their operation at Bournemouth such a success. Low cost carriers, such as Ryanair, have dramatically changed the face of the aviation industry all of which is great news for those living in our region who now have easy access to a comprehensive selection of flights from their local airport."