Ryanair confirms it won't fully reopen Brussels base

Ryanair said the airport's decision comes at a time when most European airports are reducing prices to recover traffic lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Ryanair has confirmed it won't fully reopen its Brussels Zaventem base this summer because of the airport's decision to increase prices from April, the airline has said. 

However, it will continue to operate other routes to and from Brussels Zaventem "on aircraft base outside Belgium". 

Europe's largest budget airline said the airport's decision comes at a time when most European airports are reducing prices to recover traffic lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The decision doesn't affect its flights at Belgium's Charleoi airport.    

"Despite recent rumours, we will not be reopening our Brussels Zaventem base in summer 2023 due to Zaventem Airport's decision to increase prices by 11% for airlines and passengers from April 2023," chief executive Michael O'Leary said in a statement.

"However, customers can still book Ryanair's low fares on 12 Zaventem routes that will continue to operate to/from Brussels Zaventem for S23 on aircraft based outside Belgium."

Jobs impact

Belgian press agency Belga, which first reported the news quoting local union ACV Puls, said Ryanair's move puts 59 jobs at risk. The airline, which operates two aircraft out of Brussels Airport, did not mention any impact on jobs.

Ryanair also operates 17 airplanes out of Belgium's Charleroi airport, south of Brussels, which it said will be unaffected by its Zaventem decision.

Ryanair shares have risen strongly, by 16%, since the start of the year after the airline reported last week on sales over Christmas. 

It raised its full-year profit for the 12 months to the end of March this year to as much as €1.42bn but maintained its full-year traffic guidance of 168 million passengers, indicating the earnings increase has been spurred mostly by people paying more.

Ryanair cautioned the guidance “remains heavily dependent upon avoiding adverse events” in the year’s final quarter, such as a worsening of the Covid-19 pandemic or a deterioration of the war in Ukraine.

The discount specialist said it has seen a “recent softening” of traffic and pricing on UK outbound services and Irish flights to provincial British cities, which will weigh on the quarter.

Reuters, Bloomberg, Irish Examiner