Ryanair will fly more than 250,000 passengers during the Christmas period, a 25 per cent increase on the same period last year, according to an announcement by the company yesterday. It will add 100 extra flights to meet the demand for low-fare flights between Ireland, the UK and continental Europe.
The airline also plans to start six new routes from London to continental Europe this year. The announcement follows a decision last month to cancel five new routes from Dublin to Europe.
"The reason for the cancellation is that from 1999 onwards the Aer Rianta monopoly at Dublin Airport proposes to increase costs substantially every year, which will make it impossible for Ryanair to introduce any new fares from Dublin to the travelling public," said Ms Ethel Power, head of communications at Ryanair.