Ryanair is poised to cut one-third of its operation at Budapest following a rise in airport landing charges.
The budget carrier’s move comes just nine months after Ryanair rushed to establish a base at Budapest following the collapse of Hungarian flag carrier Malev.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary was due to announce the cuts at a press conference in the Hungarian capital this morning.
The carrier will axe 10 of the 30 routes it operates from Budapest including services to and from Birmingham. It blamed a 10% rise in airport handling fees and an increase in charges levied by the Hungarian aviation authority.
Ryanair established its Budapest base with four aircraft in February, a fortnight after Malev’s collapse, describing it as “the largest-ever investment in Hungarian aviation” and promising to carry two million passengers a year. The carrier already operated to the airport.
Malev ceased flying on February 2 after the Hungarian government withdrew financial support on the orders of the European Commission.
The Hungarian carrier, a member of the Oneworld alliance, had debts equivalent to £170 million. However, its collapse was hastened by the EC which in January ordered Malev to repay £240 million in state aid from the years 2007 to 2010.
The cuts at Budapest are the latest in a series of route-slashing moves by Ryanair.
Over the past six months the carrier has axed flights from Finland, Cyprus, the Canary Islands, Morocco, Madrid, Barcelona, Kos and Rhodes.