Ryanair slashes Liverpool flights
for cutbacks this summer at Liverpool airport.
Ten destinations are being cut from the airline’s network from the Merseyside
airport with the loss of 50 pilot, cabin crew and engineering jobs.
Ryanair is pulling one aircraft out of Liverpool to leave six, resulting in
an anticipated eight per cent drop in passengers from 2.7 million last year to
2.5 million in 2009.
Further cuts in the winter schedule at Liverpool will be announced later, the
carrier warned. Destinations to go include Paris, Budapest, Valencia, Faro and
Lodz.
Deputy chief executive Michael Cawley said: "The combination of the high cost
government APD and falls in sterling has already created a traffic collapse at
Liverpool Airport.
"The decision by the UK Government to continue to impose high APD charges and
increase them over the next two years is completely unacceptable given the current
economic climate.
"Ryanair has repeatedly called for this tax to be scrapped by highlighting that
such travel taxes have failed in both the UK and Dutch markets, where they immediately
resulted in traffic declines and sadly these declines look set to continue.
"This government must realise you can only promote tourism by welcoming visitors,
not taxing them.
"These cuts can and will be reversed if the government’s greedy APD is scrapped
– only then can we grow passenger traffic at Liverpool and throughout the UK."
and warned that extra levies on airlines will not put people off flying.
the EU carbon emissions trading scheme, seen by some airlines as their best hope
of avoiding punitive taxes as governments consider curbing the industry’s contribution
to the greenhouse effect.
about aviation and environmental taxes at the moment. No one knows what they
are talking about.”
warned of catastrophic economic consequences if climate change is not tackled.
across the EU, compared with nearly 25% from road transport, which he said had
not been affected by petrol levies and other charges. He added that Ryanair’s growth will not be affected by further taxes because its ticket prices
will remain more competitive than its rivals’.
will continue to grow like gangbusters because the price differential between
Ryanair and easyJet and British Airways will not change.”
increase of 1.5% is enough to put some people off flying.
urged the Treasury to consider raising air-passenger duty and introduce VAT on
certain flights. Low-cost airlines have come in for specific criticism from the
environmental lobby because they are the fastest growing in the industry and encourage
“frivolous” air travel.
O’Leary said the government should focus on British Airways, which he said operates
a “gas-guzzling” fleet of older aircraft.
what they ought to be tackling are the operators of the old gas-guzzling aircraft
like BA or those who run two flights to get you to your destination, unlike low-fares
airlines.”
280-strong fleet has an average age of 10 years and it has started replacing its
oldest long-haul aircraft.
British Airways and other European airlines are pressing to join. The scheme is
seen by many industry executives as the least worst option facing airlines, who
fear that political momentum is gathering behind measures to tackle airline growth.
carbon emissions trading scheme,” Mr O’Leary said.
it is overhauling its fleet of Boeing aircraft with new fuel-efficient planes.
in renewable energy over the next decade as a “PR stunt” because the billionaire
expects to fund the promise from the profits of his transport interests, which
include the Virgin Atlantic airline and Virgin Trains. “I doubt if the profit
will get to $3bn over the next 100 years, let alone the next 10,” he said.
to be tackled because its carbon emissions are expected to grow much more quickly
than those of road transport or power generators. According to an Oxford University
report, aviation will account for a quarter of UK carbon emissions by 2050 – up
from 5.5% now – if no action is taken.
said Mr Dyer. “It is a problem for the future and that’s why we have to curb demand
now.”