Ryanair cuts Budapest routes

Ryanair will cut flights and close routes at its base in Budapest from January, citing high charges at the airport.

The no-frills airline said operations at the airport would be cut by as much as 40 per cent from January 10th, leading to the closure of 10 routes and the loss of 280 flights every week.Some of the routes to be dropped include Budapest to Birmingham, Dusseldorf and Malaga.

The airline is blaming increased charges, a lack of efficient facilities and a failure to offer “a competitive cost base for future growth”.

The cutbacks will mean a loss of 800,000 passengers every year, Ryanair said. It will continue to operate 20 routes from the airport, but nine of the remaining routes will have the frequency reduced.

“Sadly, 800,000 passengers per annum and over 800 jobs will be lost by Budapest to other airports elsewhere in Europe, where Ryanair will continue to grow,” chief executive Michael O’Leary said.

“Hochtief cannot continue to ignore the competitive marketplace, where airports all over Europe have been reducing costs and offering efficient facilities in return for traffic growth.”