Ryanair launches Canary Island flights

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2009/07/ryanair-launches-canary-island-flights/)
Budget airline Ryanair has announced it is starting new routes from Nottingham East Midlands airport to the Canary Islands to take advantage of Spanish tax concessions.

The firm said the expansion, which involves a total of 39 new routes across the country, would bring in two million extra passengers and create 2,000 new jobs.

The no-frills Irish carrier blamed high taxes for its decision last week to cut its Stansted flights by 30% this winter.

Ryanair has also made cuts to its Dublin services, blaming "suicidal tourist taxes".

From October, the new services include Gran Canaria and Lanzarote flights from Luton, Liverpool, East Midlands and Prestwick airports.

Other new services include flights to Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife from Birmingham, Bournemouth and Bristol airports.

Spain is offering a 100% discount on airport charges this winter, but Ryanair said the continuation of the new routes beyond March 31 next year was dependent on the extension of the discount.

Ryanair also announced that it was starting four new routes from Prestwick airport from October - to Alicante, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and Palma in Majorca.

A fifth new service from Prestwick - to Ibiza - will start on March 10.

Ryanair is also increasing the frequency of flights from Prestwick to Faro, in Portugal, and Malaga and Tenerife in Spain.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2009

via Ryanair launches Canary Island flights - Bury Free Press .