In a statement issued on Wednesday, low-budget airline Ryanair confirmed earlier reports that it cancels domestic flights to/from airports in Chania and Rhodes, although it does not make explicit reference to the Rhodes airport, KTG understands. Ryanair closes its hub in Chania with the result that also international flights will be affected. The airline blamed high airport charges for the route cuts.
The Irish budget airline Ryanair will close its base in Chania, Crete and reduce its domestic flights within Greece. According to the airline’s announcement on Thursday, from June 1 the airline will cut back its domestic flights in Greece and transfer one aircraft from Athens and another from Chania to Germany, where it is expanding its services.
“Ryanair’s base in Chania will close, with the result that four, low-frequency flights from Chania to Venice [Italy], Vilnius {Lithuania], Katowice [Poland] and Memmingen [Germany] will be abolished. Ryanair will continue to link Athens with Mykonos, Santorini and Thessaloniki this summer. All the other domestic flights in Greece will be cancelled,” said the company’s announcement.
The Irish airline explained that “charges made by Greek airports, in their majority, encourage flights only in summer and only to international destinations; flights that need fewer aircraft in Greece. So, two aircraft will be transferred from Greece to Germany where they can generate higher performance on an annual basis.
Ryanair remains open to discussion with airport authorities on formulating a development plan for all airline companies that will support flights throughout the year and justify additional aircraft with a permanent base in Greek airports,” stated Ryanair Sales and Marketing director for the Eastern Mediterranean Nikolaos LardisJust a few hours after the Ryanair statement, German-Greek Consortium FRAPORT that manages 14 airports in Greece after their privatization issued its own statement saying it cutting flights was due to the company’s operational reasons and that it respects the airline decision.
“Ryanair continues to be a strategic partner in 9 out of 14 airports with a significant market share and strong growth in international destinations over the past few years,” said Fraport, adding that “for our part, priority is serving the increased passenger traffic that we are expecting at our airports this year, and our actions are aiming for that. “
KTG understands that:
Chania service will be abolish permanently
No domestic flights to Rhodes from June 1 [ to end October?]
Only domestic flights from Athens to Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini will be served in summer time.
For further questions, please, ask directly by Ryanair.
So will they then not be taking the €390,000pa that Ryanair gets from 10 Crete councils & tourist organisations? (up from the €300,000pa they got initially 3 or 4 years ago to start up in Chania). They hava also announced they are no longer to fly x Glasgow to Crete. But will other airlines step in? Or will the investment in Chania Airport – and FRAPORT managemdnt – become a white elephant?
Ryanair said that charges were to high at some Greek airports but nobody listened now the service has been withdrawn, the passengers are the ones to suffer, the Germans will make money in the short term, but they are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market. Greece May benifit in the short term from increased landing fees, bedroom tax at hotels, and tax on air B&B but the tourists will not return if they keep getting ripped off it is a very Greek (short sighted ) policy that will back fire on Greece. Last years tourist take was not as high as expected.
When will this government learn they need to grow the pie not just keep taking a bigger slice.
Norwayair seemed to have suddenly dropped their budget flights from Chania to Gatwick. Presumably in response to less competition.
Are the landing fees at all Greek Airports the same….as I have been hearing this same old story forever…Ryanair left Kos because of high landing fees, so they said, I actually believe it was because we would not pay the subsidies asked by Ryanair….but now they are taking one place from Athens and one from Chania to take to Germany, Berlin and Dusseldord, where he has gone into partnerhip with Niki Lauder and these planes are going to be flying to yes….you got it Kos…where he left because the landing fees were to high…He flies to 20 destinations from AThens, (which I believe have very high fees) and 19 Destinations from Thessaloniki…..unfotunately Greece needs him more he needs us…as he now flies to Israel about 15 times a week, he can take his planes anywhere he like…as he has stated he is not a charity and he wants to ake money…but just dont lie about the reasons…..
Ryan Air is not an airline. Good riddance.