Ryanair threaten to scrap flights to resort

Budget airline Ryanair today threatened to scrap all flights to a popular sunshine island destination in a dispute with local tourist bosses.

The Irish carrier said it would close all its routes to and from Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands from January 31, 2009, unless a local tourism group AIE “honours a commercial agreement”.

One of the airline's Dublin flights to Fuerteventura was cancelled from November 6 because, the airline said, of the AIE's breach of its agreement with Ryanair.

Earlier this month Ryanair ceased flying to Valencia in Spain after a row with the local tourist department.

Ryanair began flying to Fuerteventura in 2006 and annual passenger numbers have reached more than 250,000.

Its nine routes to the island include Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands and Liverpool.

Ryanair has set a deadline of December 6 for agreement with Fuerteventura tourist organisation AIE to be reached.

Ryanair’s Michael Cawley said today: “Ryanair again calls on the AIE to honour its contractual agreement or lose Ryanair’s flights.”

"Ryanair has served 30 days notice to the AIE to comply with its contractual agreements. If they refuse to do so then we will have no choice sadly but to end all Ryanair flights to Fuerteventura from January 31."