Passengers arriving for the Girona to Madrid flights last week found no aircraft, no crew, and no explanation at the Ryanair check-in desk. It appears that the flights were withdrawn but Ryanair made no comment.
Girona's Director of Business Associations says that by so doing, Ryanair is breaking its contract with the city of Girona for 2011. Ryanair does have the right to cancel unprofitable routes, but noted that the GRO-Madrid route carries 300,000 passengers a year.
The president of Spanair, Ferran Soriano, has confirmed that his airline is ready to take over the route when Ryanair pulls out of Girona (and hopes that unlike the last time Spanair tried the route, this time they will make a profit).
The Catalan airline Vueling announced a net profit for 2010 of €46.000.000, an increase of 66% over 2009. They operated 84.435 flights, transporting 11.036.083 passengers, and are also eyeing Girona.
(SOURCE: ARENA, 25.02.2011)