It's decided , the Proposed two aircraft , planned to be based at Brussels this winter , will be removed now ! Which officially means , Ryanair is closing it's Zaventem base but seasonal flights will continue from other bases in their Network.
The CEO of the Michael O’Leary has been vocal about his plans these days that Ryanair would close bases in Europe. Brussels Airport is one such business , where he does not see further growth.
Infact he sounds , “Zaventem is one of the airports where we question our presence.”
Earlier , Ryanair had planned to base two aircraft at Brussels Airport during the winter 2022 , carrying out some ten flights a day. These flights will cease to exist for the next six months.
Ryanair aircraft based abroad will continue to offer services to the airport in the Region. However , no changes were announced for Charleroi where Ryanair operates around 15 aircraft.
"This decision is motivated by the rising costs at Brussels Airport and by the idiotic and discriminatory ecotax that the Belgian government has introduced," O'Leary said. "If those things are reversed, we can return to Brussels."
On Wednesday O’Leary cleared it with an announcement : the Irish low-cost company is phasing out its permanent presence in Zaventem, it was announced this morning at a special works council. Brussels Airport would thus become a seasonal base.
Seventeen Ryanair pilots and around 60 cabin crew are based at Brussels Airport. They are not being made redundant. The carrier will examine whether they can move to Charleroi or elsewhere.
Hans Elsen of ACV Puls describes on Twitter as blackmail. 'If we abolish flight taxes, passenger/employee rights and the index, the richest airline is prepared to come back to Brussels', elsen writes. "Ryanair has been blackmailing governments for 25 years to satisfy their whims."
Als we vliegtaksen, rechten voor passagiers/werknemers, en de index afschaffen is de rijkste luchtvaartmaatschappij bereidt om terug te komen naar Brussel. Ryanair chanteert al 25 jaar overheden om te voldoen aan hun grillen.
— Hans Elsen (@Hans_Elsen) September 7, 2022
“We are now going to look for solutions for the 80 employees in Brussels,” says Hans Elsen of ACV Puls. “For the 71 employees from abroad, we are going to see whether there are possibilities for them to be sent back and find work there. For the 9 Belgian employees, it is being examined whether they can work in Charleroi. That airport will be left untouched.”
De directie heeft volgens vakbondsman @Hans_Elsen van ACV Puls beloofd dat er voor de betrokken personeelsleden - een tachtigtal, piloten en cabinepersoneel - een oplossing zal worden gezocht. In maart zouden de toestellen terugkeren. @ACV_Vakbond https://t.co/CTmsMtCexw
— ACV Puls (@acvpuls) September 7, 2022
Ryanair is one of the few carriers operating more flights than before the pandemic crisis , carrying more passengers than ever at present.
But the shaky economy in the country is making O’Leary fearful about the upcoming winter travel – “You’d be crazy not to worry about the looming recession,” he said recently. That is why Ryanair is reviewing its presence at some airports for this winter, Athens was one of them.
During the press conference, O'Leary repeatedly shot sharply at the flight tax of 2 to 10 euros per one-way trip within Europe that was introduced in our country in April.
O'Leary believes, connecting and long-haul flights are given an exception to the tax. 'What kind of ecotax is that, which gives the most polluting flights an exception? It's an idiotic decision by the Belgian government, something we're used to by now.'
Zaventem, where only two Ryanair planes are now based, has never been O’Leary’s favorite base, because airport charges are about eight times higher than in the regionally subsidized Charleroi.
However, few months ago , O’Leary himself showed his presence in Brussels with the message that after corona he mainly saw expansion opportunities in Zaventem , because Charleroi is already saturated. But then “airport costs and taxes will have to be cut to rekindle tourism,” he added.
JUST IN: While low-cost Irish airline @Ryanair anticipates a €1 billion profit in 2022, its feud with Belgian authorities shows no signs of abating and has threatened to pull out of Belgium. pic.twitter.com/6MuRyHHL7k
— BNN Belgium (@BNNBelgium) September 3, 2022
Few days ago , around half of the Ryanair’s Belgium-based pilots joined forces to sue the budget airline amid stalled salary negotiations, according to the ACV union.
The Belgian pilots and cabin crew stationed in the country have already struck multiple times this year to protest against Ryanair’s working methods and working conditions. The labor prosecutor in Charleroi has already collected dozens of complaints against Ryanair.
