Ryanair could only achieve what it did by below cost selling being up against Easyjet, on top of capacity restrictions could not make profit and left with a big bang blaming someone else as always but looking like a white knight in the process??
Stansted flights, and with very respectable monthly loads were such good value, leads one to believe that FR were not making alot on this route. However, one really never knows the yield. The fact that 930 pm is the last flight in a night in effect makes each aircraft less efficient from cost/operating point of view and that needs to be factored into the overall profit equation to equate to BHD being a profitable destination for FR.
Second issue for FR at BFS is BE, FR made no impact on BE on GLA route and PIK was a complete disaster, some flights 15-20 passngers. When FR went on STN BE's figures on LGW continued to grow month on month! LPL achieved great loads, but BE has never made a success of that route.
Personally I don't see why ryanair can't go to BFS
Ryanair simply wont be going to BFS as that would sour the relationship with Easyjet plain and simple. They couldnt strike a deal that was attractive enough and besides all that if they did come to Belfast market, they would go after the same routes that Easyjet are on to sun destinations to make a 189 seat jet work on, lose money competing in the process as Easyjet so well established here.
seems like common sense to me that a runway extension that leads to more routes and a return of Ryanair could only be beneficial to the local economy
Runway extention alone wont see FR back, the other restrictions needs to be lifted and FR would want and need absolute flexibility across the board, without same their is an impact on cost. The subject of extending the runway has been debated to death on here, and the best reasoned argument on here is that NI needs an aviation policy and strategy that looks at what is best for NI as a whole.
If Ryanair are so confident that they can attract lots of extra passengers to the place, why dont they increase operations at Eglinton??? The days of FR £1 seats are gone, NI opportunity is for inbound passengers and to my mind marketing the Northwest as a tourist attraction and leading up to the north coast is as sellable as Belfast, so given that FR dont see that I dont believe the opportunity ex BHD for FR is as big as this thread would suggest. Any increase at BHD will in the main in my view simply be carving up the limited market the currently exists.
EI-BUD