Ryanair’s new Knock routes ‘will result in 100 jobs’

RYANAIR says that the opening up of four routes out of Ireland West Airport in Knock will create around 100 jobs in Mayo.

Chief executive Michael O’Leary said that the new routes to Barcelona (Girona), Frankfurt (Hahn), Milan (Bergamo) and Paris (Beauvais) will result in around 100,000 passengers being carried each year.

“These routes will see Knock and the west of Ireland connected to four major markets in Paris, Frankfurt, Barcelona and Milan. We will be bringing people from these areas into the west of Ireland.

“While people from the UK want to go to Dublin, continental Europeans want to go to rural Ireland, down where the boggers are,” said Mr O’Leary.

“Tourism is the one industry which can create jobs and prevent emigration and these new routes will result in about 100 jobs,” he added.

The routes will run from March 27 to the end of October next year and they are expected to result in a 10% increase at Knock, bringing annual passengers to an estimated 750,000 next year.

Over 500,000 of these will be carried by Ryanair.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who was present in Knock Airport yesterday for the announcement, said that it was now up to tourism and business interests in the west to make the most of the increased passenger numbers.

Tourism Ireland chief executive, Niall Gibbons, said that European visitors were the best ambassadors for the country and that Tourism Ireland intended to run a strong campaign with Ryanair to market the western region.

Ireland West Airport chairman Liam Scollan described the announcement of the new routes a “game changer” for Ireland West Airport Knock.

A recent KPMG consultancy study for the airport estimates that overall direct and indirect employment generated by Knock could amount to 800 jobs.