The Irish budget airline will now close its base in Hamburg on 8 January 2020.
In a statement, Ryanair explains the late delivery of 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft has led Ryanair to downsize bases or completely closed this winter. They work hard to maintain as many routes as possible and minimise the impact on customers. Many pilots have been offered unpaid leave or relocation other bases other than Germany and even Morroco.
In Germany however seems that the Irish budget Airline has been on the decline in capacity at a regional airport such as Frankfurt Hahn, Weeze and Bremen are significant. According to Airlines.de the market share of Ryanair including its subsidiary Lauda fell last year from 9.8 to 8.4 per cent. ''I see currently little growth potential for the German market said Ryanair's, Michael O'Leary.
The airline has also completely withdrawn from German domestic traffic.
In Summer 2019 Ryanair offered only 410.000 seats from Hahn Frankfurt airport where a year ago 2018 had offered 800.000.
As a reason for the decline in Germany Ryanair names above all overcapacity in the market and Michael O'Leary in the market adding that the prices in Germany will remain very low in the next couple of years.
In addition, Ryanair claimed that the airport's cutbacks were a result the cost of rising fuel price along with the compensations, including for fuel and passenger compensation for flight delays, as well as lower ticket prices, caused partly by the recent strikes.
The announcement of airport cuts and closures of base in Bremen Germany and its base at Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, just came just days after a major strike by pilots and cabin staff affecting more than 100 flights in Germany and about 250 in total.
The result regarding the profits have been the lowest of this year and the Irish low-cost carrier has already damage caused by the late delivery of 737 MAX aircraft. In order to maintain its business within this turbulent period, it looks like had no other choice rather than proceed to based aircraft downsized and closures of non-profitably bases.
RYANAIR'S PILOTS: CLOSURE OF BASES A PUNISHMENT FOR THE STRIKE
Pilots union ''Cockpit'' and the public services union ''VerdI'', which are campaigning for a collective pay deal for Ryanair pilots and cabin staff in Germany, criticised the decisions, which threaten jobs at the two locations.
Cockpit vice-president Markus Wahl claimed: “The threat by Ryanair can only be interpreted as a reaction to the strike. Ryanair’s behaviour is not acceptable and is clearly designed to put pilots under pressure.”
The union claimed that the airline was not interested in a mediated agreement but Ryanair countered that it would agree to mediation under certain conditions, including a five-week process instead of the five months proposed by the union.
Similarly, Verdi claimed the measures in Bremen and Weeze were ‘punishment’ for the strike action. Christine Behle, a member of the union’s executive committee, declared: “We call on Ryanair to reverse this decision straight away and not to threaten the employees’ (financial) existence.”
However, the airline will still operate to 14 destinations from Hamburg next summer 2020 with flights operated from other bases.
Source:
www.aviation24.be
www.fvw.com
www.skycop.com
