mr Q
21st Sep 2003, 19:52
Ryanair Could Pull Plug at City of Derry.
Sep 19 2003
Derry Journal
By Eamonn MacDermott
RYANAIR LAST night told the 'Journal' it would have no choice but to pull the plug on its service to City of Derry Airport if the runway there was not extended.
The warning came from Conal Henry, commercial director of the low cost airline, who urged Derry City Council and the local business community to act immediately to save the service, which at present caters for almost 250,000 passengers into the North West.
The low cost airline is introducing larger planes to its fleet and the current runway at Eglinton will not be able to accommodate them.
Speaking at a conference in Letterkenny, organised by the Donegal Enterprise Board, Mr. Henry, warned that unless Ryanair had some certainty about its North West operations it could be forced to end them.
Mr. Henry said Ryanair was committed to the North West and stressed it would be happy to continue flying out of City of Derry if the necessary improvements were carried out.
He said: "We need two things, certainty and urgency. At present we have neither. We are committed to the North West. We carry 200,000 passengers a year and we are happy to stay here.
"But we are beginning the process of retiring our existing fleet of 737-200 series and the simple fact of the matter is that without the expansion, City of Derry Airport cannot take our new planes, the 737-800 series."
Mr. Henry revealed Derry may have already lost out on the opportunity to increase the number of destinations available from City of Derry.
He said: "Invest Northern Ireland has money available to develop European routes and we probably could have had flights to Frankfurt, Brussels and maybe even Paris from City of Derry. This opportunity could well be lost now."
Eighty-five per cent. passengers using Ryanair's Frankfurt-Kerry flight are inbound and Mr. Henry said similar figures could materialise if the company was able to continue using the Eglinton airport.
Mr. Henry said: "The Frankfurt-Kerry flight has proved a great success with Germans flocking to that part of the country."
He said was not engaging in a "blame game" but stressed the need for Derry City Council, the business community and all influential bodies in the North West, to do all it their power to the question of the runway extension resolved urgently.
He said: "We are hoping to start retiring our 200 series this winter and a date for the complete withdrawal of that plane will be around early 2005. We need to know if will be able to continue to operate out of City of Derry and we need to know now."
He added: "Simply by introducing the 800 series we would increase capacity out of City of Derry by 45 per cent. simply because the planes are 45 per cent. bigger. In our experience we have found that if you provide the seats they will be filled."
Ryanair are Europe's third largest airline, flying to some 133 destinations worldwide. When they first came tothe North West, flights from the City of Derry were the 27th route to be introduced.
Mr. Henry concluded: "We want to be in the North West. We want to stay here, but the question of the runway expansion must be resolved and resolved soon."
Sep 19 2003
Derry Journal
By Eamonn MacDermott
RYANAIR LAST night told the 'Journal' it would have no choice but to pull the plug on its service to City of Derry Airport if the runway there was not extended.
The warning came from Conal Henry, commercial director of the low cost airline, who urged Derry City Council and the local business community to act immediately to save the service, which at present caters for almost 250,000 passengers into the North West.
The low cost airline is introducing larger planes to its fleet and the current runway at Eglinton will not be able to accommodate them.
Speaking at a conference in Letterkenny, organised by the Donegal Enterprise Board, Mr. Henry, warned that unless Ryanair had some certainty about its North West operations it could be forced to end them.
Mr. Henry said Ryanair was committed to the North West and stressed it would be happy to continue flying out of City of Derry if the necessary improvements were carried out.
He said: "We need two things, certainty and urgency. At present we have neither. We are committed to the North West. We carry 200,000 passengers a year and we are happy to stay here.
"But we are beginning the process of retiring our existing fleet of 737-200 series and the simple fact of the matter is that without the expansion, City of Derry Airport cannot take our new planes, the 737-800 series."
Mr. Henry revealed Derry may have already lost out on the opportunity to increase the number of destinations available from City of Derry.
He said: "Invest Northern Ireland has money available to develop European routes and we probably could have had flights to Frankfurt, Brussels and maybe even Paris from City of Derry. This opportunity could well be lost now."
Eighty-five per cent. passengers using Ryanair's Frankfurt-Kerry flight are inbound and Mr. Henry said similar figures could materialise if the company was able to continue using the Eglinton airport.
Mr. Henry said: "The Frankfurt-Kerry flight has proved a great success with Germans flocking to that part of the country."
He said was not engaging in a "blame game" but stressed the need for Derry City Council, the business community and all influential bodies in the North West, to do all it their power to the question of the runway extension resolved urgently.
He said: "We are hoping to start retiring our 200 series this winter and a date for the complete withdrawal of that plane will be around early 2005. We need to know if will be able to continue to operate out of City of Derry and we need to know now."
He added: "Simply by introducing the 800 series we would increase capacity out of City of Derry by 45 per cent. simply because the planes are 45 per cent. bigger. In our experience we have found that if you provide the seats they will be filled."
Ryanair are Europe's third largest airline, flying to some 133 destinations worldwide. When they first came tothe North West, flights from the City of Derry were the 27th route to be introduced.
Mr. Henry concluded: "We want to be in the North West. We want to stay here, but the question of the runway expansion must be resolved and resolved soon."