Flyswift
27th Jul 2001, 11:46
Messsge from news artical.....
Andrew Murray-Watson
NO-FRILLS Irish airline, Ryanair, said yesterday it planned to create up to 500 jobs in the UK, including a potential 100 in Scotland, as they expand operations.
The announcement, a rare shaft of light in an otherwise depressing day for Scottish jobs, is part of the carrier’s strategy to boost their passenger totals this year from seven to nine million.
A Ryanair spokeswoman said the 100 Scottish jobs depended on a decision to be taken later this year to base further aircraft at Prestwick Airport. She said: "Hopefully Prestwick will get one, possibly two new Boeing 737-800 aircraft to add to the existing two already based there."
She added that the expansion would see further routes established from Scotland and be a boost to the local economy.
It is estimated that one new aircraft at Prestwick would increase passenger numbers at the airport by 500,000 a year.
From early next year there will be a train service to the airport from Glasgow every 15 minutes.
Ryanair is investing as much as £200 million in expansion projects at its base in London’s Stansted airport alone. Many of the anticipated new jobs will involve the recruitment of pilots and skilled engineers.
Earlier this week, Ryanair’s winter schedule showed a record 55 routes - including a new Dublin-Edinburgh service in direct competition with low-fare rival Go, which recently entered the Irish market in a bid to challenge the Dublin company’s dominant position.
The airline has sold 50,000 budget flights between Edinburgh and Prestwick to Dublin for September and October in a matter of hours following the launch of ultra low cost flights.
Analysts said Scottish consumers will be the only beneficiaries of the low-cost battle for the skies as both companies put profits on the line.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has said his firm will halve any price offered by Go, in a bid to force the former British Airways subsidiary from its routes.
From mid-September there will be about 1,650 seats a day in each direction on the Edinburgh-Dublin route, up tenfold from four years ago when Aer Lingus was the sole operator.
Yesterday O’Leary said: "Ryanair continues to be not only the largest low-fares airline in Europe, but also the only one in Europe which guarantees that its fares will be lower than every other airline on every route, every day."
nullAndrew Murray-Watson
Andrew Murray-Watson
NO-FRILLS Irish airline, Ryanair, said yesterday it planned to create up to 500 jobs in the UK, including a potential 100 in Scotland, as they expand operations.
The announcement, a rare shaft of light in an otherwise depressing day for Scottish jobs, is part of the carrier’s strategy to boost their passenger totals this year from seven to nine million.
A Ryanair spokeswoman said the 100 Scottish jobs depended on a decision to be taken later this year to base further aircraft at Prestwick Airport. She said: "Hopefully Prestwick will get one, possibly two new Boeing 737-800 aircraft to add to the existing two already based there."
She added that the expansion would see further routes established from Scotland and be a boost to the local economy.
It is estimated that one new aircraft at Prestwick would increase passenger numbers at the airport by 500,000 a year.
From early next year there will be a train service to the airport from Glasgow every 15 minutes.
Ryanair is investing as much as £200 million in expansion projects at its base in London’s Stansted airport alone. Many of the anticipated new jobs will involve the recruitment of pilots and skilled engineers.
Earlier this week, Ryanair’s winter schedule showed a record 55 routes - including a new Dublin-Edinburgh service in direct competition with low-fare rival Go, which recently entered the Irish market in a bid to challenge the Dublin company’s dominant position.
The airline has sold 50,000 budget flights between Edinburgh and Prestwick to Dublin for September and October in a matter of hours following the launch of ultra low cost flights.
Analysts said Scottish consumers will be the only beneficiaries of the low-cost battle for the skies as both companies put profits on the line.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has said his firm will halve any price offered by Go, in a bid to force the former British Airways subsidiary from its routes.
From mid-September there will be about 1,650 seats a day in each direction on the Edinburgh-Dublin route, up tenfold from four years ago when Aer Lingus was the sole operator.
Yesterday O’Leary said: "Ryanair continues to be not only the largest low-fares airline in Europe, but also the only one in Europe which guarantees that its fares will be lower than every other airline on every route, every day."
nullAndrew Murray-Watson