Cork expansion depends on better terms

Ryanair has said that it would still “love” to continue growing its services at Cork Airport, but stressed that expansion is wholly reliant on the airport improving its commercial terms.

Speaking yesterday, the airline’s marketing manager, Kenny Jacobs, said the company would seek to continue growing at both primary and secondary airports around Europe.

With regards to Cork — and, to a lesser extent, Kerry — he said that customer demand and sufficient airline capacity are in place, but it comes down to the airports having the right “commercials”, with improvements needed. However, he added that Ryanair is always talking with Cork.

Last month, Ryanair’s outgoing deputy chief executive, Michael Cawley, said the airline was no longer in talks with Cork Airport regarding further growth, claiming its landing charges remain too high. However, he did say that there remains scope for Ryanair to grow at both Cork and Kerry and that it remains open to suggestion on how it can.

Yesterday Ryanair unveiled its winter 2014 schedule — detailing seven new routes from Dublin to Basel, Bucharest, Cologne, Lisbon, Marrakesh, Nice and Prague and enhanced frequencies of other routes — which will lead to the creation of 300 direct jobs and the airline growing its weekly number of flights out of Dublin from 900 to over 1,000.

The inclusion of Cologne as the one totally new route — the others largely being extensions from the summer into the winter — is being seen as a significant push for more business travellers, something for which Ryanair is openly aiming.

Mr Jacobs said approximately 20% of Ryanair’s existing passenger base consists of business travellers and management is confident of providing “a compelling offer” in terms of its planned new business product “that will absolutely meet the needs” of users on price and on customer service.

With regard to the customer service changes the airline has already implemented, Mr Jacobs said that Ryanair has seen particular passenger satisfaction involving its new allocated seating service and its free second carry-on bag allowance.