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Ryanair is to take 16 of its 40-strong fleet out of service this winter at Stansted, the largest operating base of Europe's largest budget airline.
The 40% cut in operations from October indicates the depths of the aviation recession, which is leading to forecasts that there will be 10 million fewer passengers in the UK this year and which could cost 10,000 jobs in the airline industry.
The cuts by Ryanair at Stansted, which will see it fly with 15% fewer aircraft than last winter which also followed deep cutbacks, will spread fear among rival airlines, especially the traditional full-service carriers like British Airways, which are unable to react as quickly or flexibly.
Ryanair says it will axe 10 as-yet-unspecified locations, cut frequencies on a third of its other routes and see the loss of 2.5 million passengers at Stansted between October and March 2010.
But rather than the recession, outspoken chief executive Michael O'Leary is blaming the British government and its air passenger duty and the take-off and landing charges of the BAA monopoly airport operator, which also owns Heathrow and Gatwick.
“Sadly UK traffic and tourism continues to collapse and Ryanair's 40% capacity cutback at Stansted shows just how much Gordon Brown's £10 tourist tax and the BAA monopoly's high airport charges are damaging London and UK tourism and the British economy generally,” he said. “In recent months the Belgian, Dutch, Greek and Spanish governments have all scrapped tourist taxes and/or reduced airport charges to zero in order to stimulate tourism.
“These cutbacks underline the urgent need to break up the high-cost BAA airport monopoly as recommended by the Competition Commission and scrap Gordon Brown's insane and damaging £10 tourist tax, which has caused UK traffic to collapse.”
The cutbacks at Stansted follow the freezing of plans for additional services at Ryanair's eight other UK airport bases.
They also follow deep cuts in its home town base at Dublin, as well as its other major Irish airport Shannon.
Recent figures from Air Traffic Control reported a 10.5% fall in the number of commercial airlines flying in UK airspace, the 12th consecutive month of declining aviation movements.
Reader views (7)
I am continually amazed by the negativity displayed by posters to articles about RyanAir..if you don't want to fly with them then don't. I have flown with them because offered rock bottom prices..there was no meal, no drink, no inflight entertainment..but the flight cost only £25 to Riga...and fifteen pounds from Morocco to Luton it's 3 and a half hours long MAX ! It looks to me like we have every disgruntled customer RyanAir has ever had posting every time there is an article about them.
Lighten up guys I am sorry you felt screwed but the key is to book in advance in my experience and don't expect anything but to be flown from Point A to Point B !
- Jason Stone, Stratford, Newham
its a clever move by ryanair, fewer planes means he cuts his costs, and can charge higher prices in winter because there is less capacity, whilst blaming the govt's and BAA's airport charges. and he can still undercut the major airlines who cannot reduce the number of their flights. most of us in briton will not be flying so much anyway as long as the £ is so weak and likely to stay that way. maybe more europeans will come here for the winter sales and he makes money from them.u may not like him, but he is a very astute businessman, o'leary.
- Anthony Wong, london uk
Actually it is 28 planes being reduced to 24, so not so serious. Anyway, most people in the Industry would love to see the demise of O'leary and his sad little airline. Lyingair as they are known.
I'd rather walk than use lyingair
- Anon From The Aerospace Industry, Purley
Maybe this is the beginning of the end of Ryanair? They've cut costs back to the bone and there's nowhere else to go cost-wise and they can hardly rely on customers recommending them to their friends and family - more like the oppposite!
- Paxton Pat, London
16 planes - 2 return journeys each per day = 64 trips - 100 passengers on each flight = 6400 people each day not requiring car parking, snacks, newspapers and magazines etc etc at Stansted. That is a lot. Jobs at risk in all Stansted operations and not just for Ryanair.
- Carlos, FAREHAM, Hants
"Ryanair to freeze 40% of its planes"
I froze the last time I flew Ryan Air. Their planes are so cold
- Keith Price, Luton, England
That should wipe the smug smile of Michael O'Leary face and his nasty little airline. I have no sympathy for a man whose sole business strategy was to extract as much money from his passengers in a smug and calculating way. I do have sympathy for the staff of Ryan Air, more to the fact they have to work for someone like him. The airline overcharges on a grand scale and lies continually in it's advertisments over the true price of ticket. I hope the end is nigh for these budget airlines, Credit Crunch or not.
- Alan, LONDON
