Furious Ryanair closes Valencia base

RYANAIR has claimed the refusal of Valencia airport management to promote the airline’s European routes has led it to close its base there.

The airline said the closure would result in the axing of more than 70 weekly flights to Valencia and the loss of more than 750 jobs in the region.

Ryanair, which carries 750,000 passengers per year into the Spanish airport, said the pullout came because the airport authority, Comunitat Valenciana, was also failing to promote the region. The company said since investing €112 million in its Valencia base, it had been seeking co-operation with the tourism section of the Comunitat Valenciana, with a view to promoting the region across Europe.

The airline claimed that at the same time as Comunitat Valenciana was telling Ryanair that no funds were available they were granting €12m in marketing support to local airline, Air Nostrum, who delivered neither growth nor international passengers.

Ryanair also claimed Comunitat Valenciana ignored its request for “engagement on these important promotional issues”, and “more recently turned down all reasonable requests for meetings.” Ryanair announced its new base in Valencia in August 2007 and since then has increased its passenger traffic by over 25% this year, which represents the bulk of growth at the airport.

Michael Cawley, Ryanair deputy chief executive, described the decision as a very black day for Valencia airport and the region it serves.

“The naked subsidisation by the ComunitatValenciana of competitor airlines at the expense of Ryanair, and the refusal by the same party to engage in any meaningful discussion with Ryanair, have meant continuation of our base at the airport is untenable,” Mr Cawley said.

Ryanair will cease the majority of its flights to Valencia on November 4.