Prestwick Airport is at the mercy of Ryanair

Nov 27 2009 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

PRESTWICK Airport is at the mercy of bucket airline Ryanair.

That’s the view of Central Ayrshire MP Brian Donohoe.

And he revealed that he will contact other airlines to try and convince them to set up home in Ayrshire.

Mr Donohoe spoke out in the same week that Ryanair announced it will introduce one new route and increase the frequency of an existing six others.

He explained that airport owners Infratil have confirmed a marked reduction in business at Prestwick over the last year.

He said: “The problem is that the airport has practically all of its eggs in one basket.

“It is almost totally at the mercy of Ryanair’s flying schedules. If Ryanair cuts just one service, this has knock-on effects – not just on the airport itself, but on many other businesses in the area.”

Infratil’s annual report points out that the airport currently occupies a sector that grows “more strongly than average.” But it explains that “in periods of shrinkage (like a recession), its activities are disproportionately adversely affected.”

Mr Donohoe added: “With more companies involved, the airport would be less exposed to boardroom and operating whims, but would still in my view offer a fantastic investment opportunity as we pull out of the recession.”

Meanwhile Ryanair revealed that it will operate a new twice weekly service from Prestwick to Carcassonne in France from March 2010.

It will also increase the number of services to Dublin, Riga, Barcelona Girona, Alicante, Palma and Tenerife.

Maria Macken from Ryanair said: “Ryanair is delighted to announce a new route from Glasgow Prestwick to Carcassonne, a walled medieval town in the Languedoc region of southwest France.

“Ryanair’s twice weekly flights from Glasgow Prestwick to Carcassonne and additional frequencies on 6 routes to/from Prestwick make choosing a holiday destination more exciting than ever.”