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Ryanair to begin flying from Glasgow | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Budget airline Ryanair has confirmed it is to start flying from Glasgow Airport in October, with the launch of seven routes. | |
The airline is to continue operating from the publically-owned Prestwick and has stressed its commitment to the struggling Ayrshire terminal. | |
But it said some destinations, including Dublin, would move from Prestwick to Glasgow. | |
Ryanair is also to launch a new Stansted service from Edinburgh. | |
The airline is the sole remaining scheduled passenger carrier at Prestwick, which was bought by the Scottish government for £1 last year. | |
It will continue to fly on seven routes from the Ayrshire airport over the winter months. Only about half of Prestwick's revenue is dependent on passenger traffic. | |
Maintenance facility | |
In a media conference on Thursday morning, Ryanair said it would operate 55 flights a week out of Glasgow from October as part of what it said was a £260m investment in Scotland. | |
It said it hoped to bring an additional 850,000 passengers through Glasgow International each year. | |
Ryanair's existing once daily flight from Glasgow Prestwick to Dublin will now switch to Glasgow as part of an expanded three times daily business service between Glasgow and Dublin. | |
Despite this switch, Ryanair said it "remains committed" to its long-standing base at Prestwick, where the airline has a major maintenance facility. | |
It said it was currently in discussions with Glasgow Prestwick and the Scottish government to explore growth opportunities to and from Prestwick. | It said it was currently in discussions with Glasgow Prestwick and the Scottish government to explore growth opportunities to and from Prestwick. |
Ryanair said its winter routes from Glasgow will be to Bydgoszcz, Derry, Riga, Warsaw Modlin and Wroclaw. | |
Winter routes from Prestwick will be to Alicante, Barcelona Girona, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Malaga and Tenerife. | |
Ryanair also announced three new daily business flights between Edinburgh and London Stansted. | |
There will also be a total of 16 winter routes from Edinburgh. | There will also be a total of 16 winter routes from Edinburgh. |
'Increasingly competitive' | |
Speaking ahead of Ryanair's announcement, a Scottish government spokesman said: "The airline is important to Scotland's airports and we look forward to working with them in the future. | Speaking ahead of Ryanair's announcement, a Scottish government spokesman said: "The airline is important to Scotland's airports and we look forward to working with them in the future. |
"With regards to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, as the deputy first minister outlined in her ICI Committee appearance last month, there is no 'quick fix' solution for the airport - it will require a sustained effort over a number of years. | "With regards to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, as the deputy first minister outlined in her ICI Committee appearance last month, there is no 'quick fix' solution for the airport - it will require a sustained effort over a number of years. |
"We are confident there is a place for Glasgow Prestwick Airport in the evolving and increasingly competitive Scottish aviation market, as an airport serving Ayrshire and other parts of the west of Scotland, and are committed to making it the success we know it can be." | "We are confident there is a place for Glasgow Prestwick Airport in the evolving and increasingly competitive Scottish aviation market, as an airport serving Ayrshire and other parts of the west of Scotland, and are committed to making it the success we know it can be." |
In June, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Prestwick was to receive nearly £10m of investment from the Scottish government. | In June, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Prestwick was to receive nearly £10m of investment from the Scottish government. |
The funding was to go towards operating costs, a repairs backlog and to make improvements to the terminal building. | The funding was to go towards operating costs, a repairs backlog and to make improvements to the terminal building. |
Ms Sturgeon said a further £5.5m had already been provided since acquisition. | Ms Sturgeon said a further £5.5m had already been provided since acquisition. |