Azores Concerned About Potential Drop in Tourists if Ryanair Suspends Off-Peak Season Flights

The Association of Indigenous Lodgings in the Azores Archipelago (AILAA) has expressed significant worry regarding the potential departure of the budget airline Ryanair from Azores' airspace.

A conducted study by the organization unveiled that nearly 42 percent of participants indicated experiencing the repercussions of this circumstance, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com.

Furthermore, the gathered information implies that if Ryanair does indeed discontinue its flights to the Azores during the less busy period, the AILAA might encounter a nearly 31 percent decrease in income.

Such an outcome would be extremely negative for the region, not only directly for tourism in the low season but also in terms of promoting the Azore’s destination, taking into account the capacity of this airline to reach the large outbound markets,” the AILAA emphasized in this context.

Formerly, on July 27, the regional secretary in charge of Tourism, Mobility, and Infrastructure, Berta Cabral, mentioned that discussions between the Regional Government and Ryanair regarding retaining the airline's operational hub in the archipelago are advancing in a positive direction.

According to her, their present progress is optimistic, and matters are proceeding well. Nevertheless, she highlighted that unresolved issues remain with ANA (Aeroportos de Portugal) Vinci. These pending concerns involve all three parties, and an agreement is only deemed reached when all parties achieve a consensus.

During that time span, Jornal de Negócios disclosed that there was no established agreement yet between Ryanair and the Azores government to sustain the airline's operational base within the archipelago.

In correspondence with Jornal de Negócios, the CEO of the airline, Eddie Wilson, acknowledged ongoing negotiations but indicated that there had been no substantial advancement to encourage the company to remain.

Ponta Delgada Airport, the principal air hub in the Azores, underwent substantial expansion in passenger traffic over the recent years. Statistics offered by the airport demonstrated that last year, the facility catered to a total of 2,217,150 passengers, showcasing a remarkable upsurge of 77.55 percent in contrast to the preceding year's tally of 1,248,717.

Such figures illustrate that this pattern persisted into May 2023, with 253,362 passengers utilizing the airport, showcasing an augmentation of 29.02 percent compared to May 2022, during which 196,369 passengers were logged.

Moreover, Ryanair has been recently grappling with internal matters, chiefly concerning discontented employees. Among other concerns, Ryanair pilots initiated a fresh strike on August 14 and 15 in response to grievances concerning their remuneration and working conditions.

In preceding strike actions on July 15-16, over 80 percent of Ryanair pilots participated, ultimately leading to the cancellation of 120 flights at Charleroi Airport. Correspondingly, the ensuing series of strikes on July 29-30 resulted in the annulment of nearly 100 flights.

These strike activities impacted flights across several countries, encompassing Bosnia, Croatia, France, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden.

Source: schengenvisainfo.com