RYANAIR HAS marked its disapproval of Germany’s new €8 tourist tax by announcing a 30 per cent cut in its flights to and from Frankfurt Hahn Airport.
This news came as rival airline Aer Lingus announced the expansion of its services with a new Shannon-to-Paris route which will start in December.
Earlier this year, Ryanair warned the German government against introducing a tourist tax on flights. Yesterday the budget airline confirmed it will reduce the number of aircraft based at Frankfurt Hahn from 11 to eight for its summer 2011 schedule.
“Ryanair will move these three aircraft to Ryanair bases outside Germany which welcome tourists instead of taxing them,” chief operating officer Michael Cawley said.
It predicted that the airport’s traffic will decline by one million passengers as a result of a 30 per cent cut in its flights next summer. It also claimed that 1,000 jobs would be lost in Hahn, including 150 Ryanair pilots and cabin crew.
However, it clarified that no job losses are expected within Ryanair, as employees are likely to relocate to another of the airline’s bases.
Ken Darmody, an analyst with Goodbody Stockbrokers, said that Ryanair had “put their money where their mouth is” by cutting back its German service.
The airline has been vocal in its objections to passenger duties and tourist taxes in this country, as well as in the UK and Ireland.
Currently a two-tier system exists in Europe, Mr Darmody said, as a number of countries such as Spain have reduced or scrapped airport charges and passenger duties in a bid to boost tourism.
“It’s a signal to the authorities they [Ryanair] prefer to operate in markets that don’t have those types of tax regimes,” said Joe Gill, aviation analyst at Bloxham stockbrokers.
Meanwhile, Aer Lingus confirmed yesterday that it will commence a service between Shannon and Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from December 17th.
This will bring to eight the total number of destinations served by Aer Lingus from Shannon.
Tourism Ireland welcomed the announcement, which it said will help boost tourism from France to the Shannon region and the west of Ireland.
France is the fourth largest source of visitors for the island of Ireland, delivering almost 400,000 visitors last year, it said.