LONDON – This week, Ryanair announced plans to expand operations out of Aberdeen and Glasgow in Scotland ahead of the Summer 2023 timetable.
The Irish low-cost carrier continues to expand out of the different bases across the UK and Europe, ahead of what is expected to be a busy Summer period.
Without further ado, let’s get into the two announcements…
Announcement in Aberdeen for Ryanair…
Ryanair will operate 12 weekly flights out of Aberdeen, with the carrier expected to handle around 74,000 passengers in the financial year 2024.
The 12 weekly flights are broken down as follows:
- Alicante – 4x weekly.
- Faro – 4x weekly.
- Malaga – 4x weekly.
Commenting on the expansion out of Aberdeen was Jade Kirwan, Ryanair’s Head of Communications:
“Ryanair is pleased to announce our Aberdeen schedule for Summer 2023, with over 12 weekly flights across 3 sunny hotspot destinations – Alicante, Faro, and Malaga – offering Aberdeen citizens/visitors even more choice for their summer holidays at the lowest fares in Europe.
“And for those looking to get away and soak up some sun with the family this summer, you can now spread out the cost of your holiday by paying half the fare now and the other half up to 40 days pre-departure when you book Ryanair’s Family Plus bundle, making family holidays more accessible for everyone.”
“We look forward to welcoming thousands of customers/visitors onboard our flights to/from Aberdeen this Summer as Ryanair continues to deliver more traffic, connectivity, and lower fares than any other airline for the UK.”
Also commenting on the expansion was Christopher Tibbett, the Group Head of Airline Relations & Marketing for Aberdeen Airport:
“We are thrilled that Ryanair is launching a bigger season from Aberdeen than ever, with even more flights to European sunshine hotspots.”
“Whether exploring the Algarve’s hidden beaches, hiking Andalucía’s rugged mountains, or enjoying sundown cocktails along the Costa Blanca, Scottish holidaymakers will be well served this summer”.
Growing in Glasgow…
Ryanair will operate over 150 weekly flights from Glasgow across 18 routes, two of which are new being to Marseilles & Pisa from Glasgow Prestwick.
Representing a $200m investment, the Irish low-cost carrier will grow operations by six percent compared to the Summer 2022 season and is expected to handle over 1.1m passengers per annum.
Ryanair currently supports over 1,400 local jobs in the Glasgow area, with two aircraft to be permanently based in the area.
Kirwan also commented on this expansion, saying the following:
“Ryanair is pleased to announce our Summer 2023 schedule for our Glasgow customers, with over 150 weekly flights across 18 sunny hotspot destinations, incl. 2 new routes from Prestwick to Marseilles and Pisa, offering our customers in Glasgow and its surrounds even more choice for their summer holidays at the lowest fares in Europe.”
“To facilitate Ryanair’s growth in the region and across our wider network of more than 235 locations, we are hiring another 200 highly skilled professionals for our state-of-the-art maintenance facility at Prestwick to support the maintenance of Ryanair’s fleet as it grows to 600 aircraft by 2026.”
“We look forward to welcoming thousands of customers/visitors onboard our flights to/from Glasgow this Summer as Ryanair continues to deliver more traffic, connectivity, and lower fares than any other airline for the UK.”
Overall…
It remains clear that the Scottish markets, particularly in Glasgow and Aberdeen, remain important markets for success at Ryanair.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see how the new flights perform, as well as whether the forecasts will be met or exceeded.
But for now, all eyes are now on Ryanair to see where else they will be expanding ahead of the busy Summer 2023 season.
