Ryanair is adding eight destinations to its network from Edinburgh airport this summer.
New routes to Bari, Cork, Madrid, Marrakesh, Nimes, Palermo, Paris and Santiago in Spain will bring the number of destinations served by the no-frills carrier from the Scottish capital up to 65 with 250 flights a week – 50 more than pre-pandemic summer 2019.
Two additional aircraft are being deployed to Edinburgh to give a total fleet of 10, half being new Boeing 737 Max types providing 4% more seats.
Ryanair repeated a call for the government to “fully abolish” Air Passenger Duty immediately for all travel, describing a proposed cut on domestic flights from 2023 as a “step in the right direction” but not enough.
The airline said: “The UK government missed an opportunity to kickstart tourism recovery, particularly for summer 2022, by delaying the reduction in APD until 2023.
“Since the cut applies only to domestic travel, it ignores the need to restore international connectivity which is fundamental for the growth of the UK economy and tourism.”
Ryanair commercial director Jason McGuinness added: “Ryanair’s Edinburgh-based fleet will increase to 10 aircraft, five of which will be Boeing 737 8-200 Gamechanger aircraft.
“This larger fleet will deliver 65 routes in total, including eight new routes to exciting destinations such as Nimes, Marrakesh, and Zadar along with increased frequencies to holiday favourites such as Malaga and Alicante.
“Efficient operations and competitive airport charges provide the foundation from which Ryanair can deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity.
“Ryanair now calls on the UK government to further support this traffic recovery by scrapping APD completely.
“The 50% reduction proposed for 2023 is too little, too late for post-Covid recovery since APD puts UK airports at a severe cost disadvantage versus their European competitors.”
Edinburgh airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said: “Ryanair’s continued expansion at Edinburgh is extremely encouraging and is a huge show of confidence in the Edinburgh market.
“Aviation will play an important role in the recovery of the Scottish and UK economies and to be in a position where Ryanair are offering more than they did pre-pandemic is a very good place for us to be in, especially when five of the based aircraft will be the quietest and most environmentally friendly in the industry.
“We know there’s a pent-up demand for travel and we want to offer choice to people, which is why we are looking to both retain and grow Edinburgh’s connectivity.”
• Ryanair has also unveiled its Leeds Bradford summer schedule, with one additional aircraft for the season, bringing its total to three at the airport.
It will offer 23 routes, including three new destinations: Barcelona, Paris and Zadar.
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