Pretty simple strategy on Ryanair's part.
- Scottish Government owns PIK.
- Scottish Government is desperate for PIK to perform better.
- Scottish Government has or will soon have power to cut APD.
- Ryanair explicitly links APD removal to extra PIK flights, thus maximising chances that Scottish Government will cut APD.
- Ryanair average yield lower than anyone else, so a cut to APD has a proportionately greater impact on Ryanair all-in prices than on any other airline's prices.
- If APD is cut, Ryanair reaps the benefits across a wide range of destinations from GLA and EDI as well as PIK.
A couple of daily rotations from PIK to Belfast or Stansted seems like a modest price for Ryanair to pay to get that result.