Ryanair to increase flights from Girona?
After the shock cancelation of its five year extension agreement at Girona Airport in February 2011, Ryanair appears to have come to the beginnings of an agreement with the Generalitat of Catalunya to increase its much diminished service from Girona.
However, the dispute over the rise in Spanish airport taxes, which caused Ryanair to withdraw all but two of its Girona – UK lines for winter is not yet resolved completely and Ryanair warns “If AENA increases its already high taxes at Girona (and Reus), these pre-agreements will be cancelled and the aircraft and routes will be transferred to other airports with lower operating costs”.
According to Spanish newspaper El País, by the terms of the agreement, Ryanair will receive €5.8 million in annual subsidies if it accepts the Girona agreement plus land to build a hotel.
For the time being, Ryanair has transferred its flights from Girona Barcelona El Prat Airport, leaving only two flights open to the UK, to Birmingham and Manchester Airports.
More news as it comes in.
HISTORY
(info from Ryanair website)
In December 2010 Ryanair and the Government of Catalonia reached agreement on a five year extension of its base operation at Girona Airport under which Ryanair agreed to base 11 aircraft at Girona, operate 64 routes and deliver 4m passengers p.a. which would sustain up to 4,000 jobs in and around Girona Airport. However, after a change in government, the new Government refused to honour the agreement despite being consulted on it by the outgoing Government.
