Ryanair to suspend services from Knock Airport
Tuesday, 14 December 1999 20:20
Ryanair has announced that it is to suspend its services from Knock Airport in the New Year. This follows an announcement earlier today that a new £6 per passenger departure charge is to be introduced there from next month. The board says that it is being forced to levy the charge because of major losses following the abolition of duty free sales.
Ryanair is the main carrier operating in and out of Knock and tonight's statement will create major headache for the board of Monsignor James Horan's oftentimes controversial airport. This afternoon, the Airport Company explained that it has no alternative but to introduce the new £6 per passenger departure fee, as it is faced with a financial crisis following the abolition of duty free shopping.
The airport says that duty free sales amounted to £800,000 or 75% of its income in 1998. It says that it expects that 105,000 passengers will use Knock Airport next year and it hopes to raise over £600,000 from the new charge. However, this evening, Ryanair reacted to the announcement, by announcing the suspension of its Knock London services from 11 January.
In a strongly worded statement, it said that it would not agree to its passengers being "harassed for the payment of this unjustifiable fee and would suspend all flights from Knock until such time as the levy was removed". It said that both Ryanair and Knock Airport could only succeed by welcoming passengers and not taxing them.
