Ryanair drops Canary flight over shortages

Ryanair has been forced to drop one of its year-round services from Shannon this winter because of a "lack of aircraft capacity" even though the airline will still ground 50 planes for the season.

Last July it announced a significant expansion of its winter schedule at Shannon Airport including a year-round weekly service to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.

The company said it regrets it has to drop the route but will operate a weekly service to neighbouring Tenerife. Another island, Lanzarote, will be serviced by both Ryanair and Aer Lingus during the winter.

Despite planning to ground around 50 aircraft this winter, Ryanair is citing a lack of aircraft availability for axing the Fuerteventura service. In contrast, the airline had to lease seven additional aircraft last summer to meet demand.

In 2013, the airline grounded up to 80 aircraft during winter after opting to keep the jets on the ground to save money during what is usually its quietest time of the year.

Business travellers

Last winter, however, the company grounded fewer planes, just 50 of its almost 300-strong fleet, as it implemented a plan to pursue winter business travellers.

A Shannon Airport spokesman said: “For winter season 2015/16 Ryanair is swapping Fuerteventura for the more popular Tenerife island. This service will operate on a Saturday whilst Lanzarote will be operated on Saturday and Sunday by Aer Lingus and Ryanair respectively.”