Budget airline Ryanair today unveiled its summer schedule from Aberdeen.
There are no new routes from the Granite City but the Irish carrier will still operate flights to two popular destinations in Spain and one in Portugal, as in previous years.
It teased the prospect of additional routes in the future, however, with a spokeswoman saying the company “wouldn’t rule it out”.
Ryanair and Aberdeen
Ryanair will operate four flights a week to the holiday hotspots of Alicante, Malaga and Faro from April.
Aberdeen-Alicante has never been off the radar for the airline, aside from Covid disruption, since it returned to Aberdeen International Airport (AIA) in February 2017 after a five-year absence.
The Malaga and Faro flights have had a more checkered history, axed and then resurrected as Ryanair kept the success of its Aberdeen routes under constant review.
It also operated flights between Aberdeen and Malta for a spell, citing “route performance and market demand” as the reason behind their withdrawal in 2019.
When launching the Spanish flights in 2017, Ryanair and AIA bosses urged north-east passengers to “use them or lose them” – and show there is demand for more low-cost routes out of Aberdeen.
Dublin-based Ryanair says its operations from the Granite City support 50 local jobs.
The company plans to fly 225 million passengers a year by 2026. The total for the year to January 2023 was 165.3m.
Ryanair currently operates 2,500 daily flights across a a network spanning in excess of 230 airports in more than 40 countries.
Its spokeswoman told The Press and Journal hitting the 2026 target would require many new routes – and this could include new flights from Aberdeen. “We certainly wouldn’t rule it out,” she added.
Load factor for flights out of Aberdeen running ‘a little bit low’
Ryanair’s three current services to and from Aberdeen carry about 73,000 passengers a year.
According to the spokeswoman, their load factor – how well the airline fills its planes – is about 85%.
This is “a little bit low”, compared with a network average of more than 95%, she added.
She also revealed 30% of the seats on Ryanair’s flights to and from Aberdeen this summer are already sold.
This means people looking for cheap flights from their local airport need to hurry to bag the best deals.
Travellers often have to pay more to fly out of Aberdeen, compared with other airports.
Many choose to drive down to Edinburgh or Glasgow to catch much cheaper flights.
Asked why Ryanair’s fares from Aberdeen tend to cost more, the spokeswoman said it was most likely due to the airline offering many more services from the central belt.
Easing the pressure on holiday costs
Fewer flights mean less availability, which will often result in higher prices, she said.
She urged people to book as early as possible to get the best deals, whatever airport they want to fly from.
And she highlighted Ryanair’s updated Family Plus bundle, which the airline says will make paying for holidays easier.
Passengers can spread out the cost of family trips by paying half the fare at the time of booking and the other half up to 40 days before departure.
The offer is aimed at those who are trying to fit trips into strained household budgets amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Ryanair has also announced its summer schedules for other Scottish airports.
Christopher Tibbett, head of airline relations and marketing, Aberdeen, said: “We are thrilled that Ryanair is launching a bigger season from Aberdeen than ever before.
“Whether exploring the Algarve’s hidden beaches, hiking Andalucia’s rugged mountains or enjoying sundown cocktails along the Costa Blanca, Scottish holidaymakers will be well served this summer”.
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