Ryanair has announced it is to switch a number of routes away from Shannon airport early next year.
The airline said its services to Alicante in Spain and Faro in Portugal would transfer to Kerry and Knock from March 30th. Ryanair said the decision to switch routes was a result of Shannon airport's "refusal" to keep four-based aircraft in Shannon.
The move means that Ryanair's Shannon base will be reduced to one aircraft from March 28th.
"As commercially run airports, Kerry and Knock realise that airports and airlines must work together to reduce the cost of travel to Ireland as the Irish Government's suicidal €10 tourist tax continues to collapse Irish traffic and tourism," said Ryanair's head of communications Stephen McNamara.
"Shannon airport will suffer steep traffic declines in 2010 because they prefer to impose high charges which render Shannon uncompetitive for visitors to the west of Ireland," he added.
Last month Ryanair said it would continue to reduce traffic from Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports if charges continued to increase.
In other news, the airline said today it would open new bases at Malaga and Faro next year.
