Ryanair to unveil Cork route to Europe

RYANAIR will announce its first route from Cork Airport to mainland Europe today.

Europe’s biggest airline is expected to confirm the launch of a three times a week service from Cork to southern France, beginning next April.

Airport managers remained tight-lipped on the destination last night ahead of today’s formal announcement.

But speculation was mounting that it will fly to Carcassonne — a medieval walled city close to Biarritz.

The airline axed its Shannon to Carcassonne route last month because of poor passenger figures.

The airline serves France from Dublin with flights to Grenoble Lyon, La Rochelle, Nantes, Paris Beauvais and Marseille Provence.

The deal struck between Cork Airport managers and the airline on landing charges and fees, played a crucial role in the airline’s decision to launch this route.

Today’s announcement was hailed as a major vote of confidence from Ryanair in Cork Airport.

Cllr Tom O’Driscoll, a member of the south-west regional authority’s airport consultative committee, said: “This is a very welcome entry by Ryanair into the continental market out of Cork.”

Ryanair has significantly expanded its operations out of the southern capital over the last year.

It operates flights to Dublin, East Midlands, Glasgow Prestwick, Liverpool, London Gatwick and London Stansted.

The service being announced today is expected to operate for the summer season initially, with the possibility of an expansion depending on passenger figures.

Details of the route and fares will be announced by Ryanair’s head of communications Peter Sherrard at a press conference at the Cork airport hotel at lunchtime.

The airline launched a 100,000 “free seats” sale on all of its routes out of Cork airport last September to promote its Cork to Glasgow and East Midlands routes, which begin today.