The low-cost airline Ryanair had speculated on getting those take-off and landing rights in Lisbon that its competitor Tap is currently not using. This project was not crowned with success and now the low coster has to significantly reduce the program announced for the summer of 2022.
The carrier announced that 19 routes from Lisbon will be cancelled. Also, three additional planes that would have come as part of the planned expansion will not come. Ryanair claims that 150 jobs would be lost as a result. Lisbon Airport would miss out on around 5.000 flights a year.
Connections from Germany are also affected by the route cancellations. The Lisbon flights from Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Memmingen will not be served in the summer of 2022. Likewise, Lisbon will no longer head for the Spanish capital, Madrid. A detailed overview of the 19 canceled targets can be found at the end of this article.
The low-cost airline presents the matter as follows: The competitor TAP is accused of "blocking" take-off and landing rights. The Portuguese airline will not be able to use this in the forthcoming 2022 summer timetable period. Ryanair accuses the Portuguese government of protecting TAP and blocking the release of the slots that the low-cost airline wanted.
Ryanair confirmed that the three aircraft and the 19 canceled routes will return to Lisbon for Ryanair's winter schedule in October 2022 as it has sufficient take-off and landing rights for these flights in the winter 2022/23 schedule.
“We regret this unnecessary inconvenience to all passengers on these canceled flights and the loss of 19 routes due to TAP's blocking of unused slots in the summer of 2002 in Lisbon. This anti-competitive slot blockade is hampering growth and delaying the recovery of transport, tourism and jobs in Lisbon. Our recent efforts to ask Prime Minister António Costa for help resulted in a total of 0 replies. Unfortunately, Ryanair is now forced to reduce its aircraft fleet in Lisbon from 2022 to 7 in the summer of 4, as well as losing 150 well-paying aviation jobs, over 900.000 fewer passengers and more than 250 million euros in tourist revenue serving the city of Lisbon in Lisbon have escaped this summer.The loss of those 19 routes and 5000 flights this summer will impact Lisbon's post-Covid recovery, leaving the city behind other European capitals. Ryanair remains committed to bringing these 3 aircraft and 19 routes back to Lisbon in October for its winter schedule while also resuming growth in traffic, tourism and jobs in Lisbon,” said CEO Michael O'Leary.
Ryanair cancels the following destinations from Lisbon:
- Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden
- Memmingen
- Agadir
- Oujda
- Billund
- Perpignan
- Poitiers
- Alicante
- Lanzarote
- Bari
- Birmingham
- Bournemouth
- Breslau
- Madrid
- Luqa (Malta)
- Palermo
- Zaragoza
- Tenerife South
- Alghero
and 