Eng123:
Where has this cr@p about 20 aircraft currently being stored come from? We rarely have a single aircraft spare, let alone 20!! Sure, the older airframes are being disposed of but this is bringing millions into the company. Rumour has it that the second hand value of these aircraft virtually matches the cost that was paid to Boeing in the first place.
It came directly from Leo Hairy Camel himself. Spoken in one of his financial reports it said:
Unit costs rose by 2% reflecting the unjustified doubling of airport charges by the BAA
Stansted monopoly, higher charges at the Dublin Airport monopoly and a 6% increase in
average sector length. Cost increases over the winter were limited by our decision to
ground 7 aircraft at Stansted and we will extend this program next Winter by grounding up
to 20 aircraft ( approx. 10% of our fleet), mainly at Stansted and Dublin where high airport
charges make it more profitable to ground aircraft rather than fly them through the
Winter.
Source:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/about/in...4_2008_doc.pdf
Their finances suggest that airport charges are much higher than staff costs so any major increase at their main hubs will be a huge concern for the bean counters.