Irish budget carrier Ryanair called on the Finnish Government to cut airport charges to pre-Covid levels, introduce a traffic recovery support scheme, and abolish the Traficom lev, measures that can be funded by scrapping wasteful PSOs that subsidise only a handful of flights.
The carrier stated Finland is only 76% recovered post-Covid and lowering its access cost would activate Ryanair’s Finland-wide growth plan, delivering over 3 million passengers per annum, four times today’s traffic, supported by a $300m investment in a new 3 aircraft base at Helsinki, an expanded network of 50+ routes, and three new airports.
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said “Looking ahead, Ryanair is ready to deliver even greater growth, with the ambition to carry over 3 million passengers p.a. by 2030, four times current traffic levels. This would be supported by a US$300M investment by Ryanair in a new 3-aircraft base in Helsinki, expansion to 50+ routes (including new domestic services), and flights to new airports such as Ivalo, Kittilä, and Turku. However, unlocking this growth requires immediate action from the Finnish Government to improve competitiveness by reducing airport charges to pre-Covid levels and introducing a traffic recovery support scheme to stimulate traffic, tourism, investment, and jobs. Finland should follow the lead taken by Sweden to lower access costs to attract airline seat capacity.”
Image Credit: Creative Commons – Jarteq
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