Ryanair CEO’s crash with Austria could lead to new Budapest routes
A few weeks ago, Wizz Air decided to withdraw most of its operations from Vienna by 15 March, and now it seems Ryanair is following suit. The Irish low-cost airline has presented an ambitious growth plan to the Austrian government, but according to Michael O’Leary, they haven’t even bothered to respond. The high air passenger tax remains, prompting the airline to transfer some of its capacity to Budapest — a move that could be fantastic news for us locals and international travellers alike.
Ryanair forced to move after Wizz Air
In September, we reported that Wizz Air had decided to relocate most of its operations from Vienna’s Schwechat Airport to Bratislava, resulting in the discontinuation of numerous routes from Austria’s capital. This decision means losing five aircraft, which previously flew to 28 cities across 20 countries. The reason? Wizz Air simply couldn’t keep up with the rising costs at the Austrian airport, and so opted for a cheaper alternative — Bratislava, which is less than 100 kilometres away by road.
- Wizz Air closes one base, opens another: Where is the Hungarian airline heading?
The Irish budget airline’s thinking echoes this approach, but in this case, Budapest could come out ahead. According to Világgazdaság, the Irish carrier announced in September that it would withdraw three of its 19 bases at Vienna. Now, they’ve decided to relocate two more aircraft. Vienna’s airport supported Ryanair then, urging the Austrian government to cut air passenger tax, but Transport Minister Peter Hanke reacted, stating such a move is impossible.
Ryanair would extend capacities in Budapest
The airline’s statement assures they’ll reroute the aircraft from Vienna to nearby, more affordable airports in Italy, Hungary, or Slovakia. This paves the way for new Ryanair routes from Budapest soon.
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Moreover, Világgazdaság highlights that Ryanair has tried to negotiate with the Austrian government. Back in September, they presented a growth plan promising a 70% increase in traffic to 12 million passengers annually and ten new Boeing aircraft by 2030. However, the airline’s CEO reports that they haven’t received an answer. O’Leary also sharply criticised Austria’s €12 Passenger Duty, claiming it’s the highest in Europe.
Ryanair remains a hot stock on the market, having increased by 37% this year, with shares currently trading at around EUR 26.2 (just over HUF 10,000).
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You have the wrong word in the title of this article. Ryanair did not have a crash with the Austrian authorities, they clashed with them (strong disagreement). Unfortunately a spell checker and grammar checker wouldn’t catch it.