Ryanair slashes Manchester routes
BUDGET airline Ryanair yesterday said it would cut nine of the 10 routes it flies from Manchester and blamed the airport for refusing to cuts its charges.
The low-cost carrier said nine routes would be switched or changed as of 1 October, meaning 44 weekly flights will be cut along with 600 local jobs.
Most flights will be moved to East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Liverpool airports, Ryanair said.
Manchester airport called the move “regrettable”.
The news comes a month after Ryanair said it would reduce the flights it runs from Stansted by 30 per cent over the winter, also because of charges at the airport.
The nine routes set to close from Manchester are to Barcelona (Girona), Bremen, Brussels (Charleroi), Cagliari, Dusseldorf (Weeze), Frankfurt (Hahn), Marseille, Milan (Bergamo) and Shannon.
Passengers affected by the changes can seek a full refund, or will be able to fly to alternative destinations, the airline said.
Ryanair said it had offered to swap 28 extra weekly flights for rate cuts, but Manchester rejected the offer. The airport said its charges were reasonable.