LONDON – This week saw Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair apply some expansion to its bases in Bournemouth and Bristol ahead of the Summer 2023 season.
Across the two bases, the expansion is valued at an eye-watering $700 million, which will see additional aircraft-based and new routes introduced.
Without further ado, let’s get into it:
Busy Bristol…
For Bristol, Ryanair will be adding four new routes, bringing their total count to 33, which includes the additional one aircraft being based at the airport.
Of the five aircraft in total, Ryanair has said that two will be their Boeing 737 MAX 200 Gamechanger aircraft.
It is understood that the $500m of the $700m total investment across the two bases will support 150 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs in Bristol.
The four new routes will be Bydgoszcz, Porto, Marseille, and Venice.
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson commented on this expansion, saying:
“As the UK’s most reliable airline, Ryanair is delighted to announce even more growth at Bristol with the addition of a 5th based aircraft ($500m total investment) and our biggest ever schedule for Bristol– offering over 290 weekly flights on 33 routes, incl. 4 new routes to Bydgoszcz, Porto, Marseille, and Venice for Summer ‘23.”
“With such a vast selection of sunny hotspots and city break destinations to choose from, UK holidaymakers can start booking their low-fare summer holidays now on Ryanair.com.
“Ryanair is driving the UK’s economic recovery through our delivery of year-round tourism, regional investment, and job creation.”
“However, if UK tourism is to continue to grow, especially in regional UK locations like Bristol, the Govt should immediately scrap APD in full for all travel and provide incentives for airlines like Ryanair to stimulate growth and recovery for the UK (an island-based economy) and its regions.”
Bustling Bournemouth…
As for Bournemouth, Ryanair will be adding an extra aircraft into the airport, bringing the total count based there to two aircraft.
Three new routes will be added, which means that a grand total of 18 will be operated under the Irish harp.
Such routes in question are Carcassonne, Edinburgh, and Venice, which are to be added in the Summer.
This represents a $200m investment into Bournemouth overall, which will support over 550 local jobs in the area.
Wilson added to his Bristol comments by talking about the Bournemouth expansion as well:
“As the UK’s most reliable airline, Ryanair is delighted to announce even more growth with the addition of a 2nd based aircraft ($200m investment) and our biggest ever schedule for Bournemouth – offering 120 weekly flights on 18 routes, incl. our exciting new routes to Carcassonne, Edinburgh, and Venice for Summer ‘23.”
Steve Gill, the Managing Director of Bournemouth Airport, had this to say on the expansion:
“This is fantastic news for our passengers and offers even more choice from their local airport.”
“We’re on course to have recovered 95% of our pre-pandemic traffic by the end of this year, having served 800,000 passengers, and Ryanair has been a huge part of that.”
“With new routes to Carcassonne, Edinburgh, and Venice, 30% more weekly flights next summer, and 18 routes in total, this is a huge vote of confidence by Ryanair in Bournemouth Airport.”
Overall…
It remains clear that Ryanair is currently in a strong position, and the expansion across the UK & Europe that is being witnessed is a testament to that.
With the Summer 2023 season expected to be as busy as this year’s period, it is no surprise that carriers such as Ryanair are expanding in accordance with that.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see where else the low-cost carrier chooses to place its investment.
