Ryanair yesterday announced plans to launch six new European routes from Dublin Airport in a move which the company says will see it directly challenging three established Aer Lingus routes.
The budget airline also said that it would deploy two additional new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, worth $140 million at list prices, at the airport from November. It intends to increase frequencies on a further 12 routes to the UK and Europe.
As a result, the company claims the measures will deliver an extra one million passengers annually and sustain 1,000 new jobs in north Dublin. Overall it says that it expects to deliver 10 million passengers to Dublin Airport next year.
"These new aircraft and routes have been facilitated by the recent opening of check-in area 14 and the opening of Pier D in October," the company said.
"These facilities will provide the additional ramp capacity needed to accommodate these new aircraft, new routes and new visitors to Dublin."
The six new routes are from Dublin to Budapest (Hungary), Nice (France), Prague (Czech Republic), Basle (Switzerland), Katowice (Poland) and Szczecin (Poland).
The first three of these are already served by Aer Lingus, while the Basel route will compete with Aer Lingus's route to Zurich, according to Ryanair.