Ryanair eyes Russian flights
14.09.06
Irish budget carrier Ryanair would consider adding destinations in Russia to its routes network, if the country enters a bilateral air services agreement with the European Union (EU), a spokesman for the airline said yesterday.
St Petersburg and other Russian cities would be a 'natural extension' to the airline's route network, Ryanair director of new route development Bernard Berger said yesterday at the World Low-Cost Airlines Congress in London. 'If Russia becomes available, there are many possible destinations [for Ryanair],' he said.
Ryanair is also open to adding more longer-distance routes to its network following the announcement of flights to Malta and Morocco, Berger said. However, generally speaking, the carrier prefers to keep flights 'as short as possible', and its average sector length over the coming years will not greatly increase,