Jobs blow for Prestwick Airport as Ryanair reveal it will half winter flights

Jul 16 2010 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

Jobs blow for Prestwick Airport as Ryanair reveal it will half winter flights

UP TO 100 jobs look set to go after Ryanair revealed it will half its flights out of Prestwick.

Staff were told of the devastating news at a meeting on Tuesday.

The bucket airline will reduce its scheduled from 102 flights a week to just 56 from October.

Management have confirmed that it will enter into a 90 day consultation with staff and unions.

Airport chief executive Iain Cochrane admitted that redundancies are likely.

He said: “We have informed staff and unions that we will begin a 90-day consultation period on August 16 to examine ways to reduce costs and ensure that our resources are best deployed to match our business needs.

“I am very sorry to say that in this review it is likely that there will be redundancies.

“These are extremely difficult times but we are optimistic about the long-term future of the airport and the aviation industry as a whole, which has experienced turbulent times in the past but has always recovered well.”

The airport currently employs around 350 staff. Sixty further people work in the various retail units.

A significant number of job losses could mean that those remaining could be forced to multi-task with fire fighters and security staff doubling as baggage handlers.

Mr Cochrane insists that the Ryanair decision to drastically reduced its flight schedule has added to the airport’s troubles.

He explained: “The combination of the severe economic downturn, a general decline in UK aviation activity, Scots holidaying at home, the government’s air passenger duty and Ryanair cutting winter capacity at Glasgow Prestwick this year by around 52 per cent compared to this summer will have a significant impact on our business.

At its peak the airport operated around 200 passenger and cargo flights a week from the airport.

And in an interview with the Post earlier this year Mr Cochrane also hit out at critics who regularly claim that Prestwick shouldn’t have all its eggs in the Ryanair basket.

He claimed at the time: “Whilst there are risks associated with having one dominant carrier, there are advantages.

"If you look at the finance of other UK airlines, if you were to put your eggs in one basket, it would be the Ryanair basket."

But a Ryanair insider claims that the news is no surprise and the airline is gradually moving much of its Scottish operation to Edinburgh.

He said: “Most of the flights from Prestwick are to summer destinations which aren’t busy in the winter.

“It’s also been common knowledge for some time that cuts were needed in the budget.

“But it seems to be a different story in Edinburgh – that’s where the airline is now focusing its Scottish operations and more aircraft will be based there this winter.”

Ayr MSP John Scott says that urgent tax reforms are needed to help airports like Prestwick compete.

He said: “Although senior managers have emphasised to me that there is no threat to the long-term future of Prestwick Airport, reductions on the scale being discussed are both serious and unwelcome.

“The ending of Route Development Funding for new routes by the Scottish government in 2007 was a blow to the airport.

“One of the biggest obstacles now facing low cost carriers like Ryanair, who are the backbone of Prestwick Airport, is the continuation of air passenger duty, which adds considerably to passenger travel costs.

“We need to see substantial reform of that tax at the very least and ideally for it to be scrapped altogether to encourage low cost carriers to reinstate lost services, to expand their routes and to support regional airports like Prestwick.”