The airline has once again appealed to the Portuguese Prime Minister to release 'slots' not used by TAP, and it threatens: if he doesn't, Ryanair will cancel routes and reduce the number of planes.
Ryanair's call for TAP slots to be released is not new, it has been a recurring theme in Michael O'Leary's frequent press conferences in Portugal. This time the appeal comes with a threat, and a date to carry it out: March 4th.
What O'Leary wants is the release of the 18 daily slots this summer, otherwise he will cut three planes and routes in Lisbon. There is a plan negotiated and approved by Brussels, but for the 18 daily slots only to be released after October.
“Unless the Prime Minister intervenes this week to free up slots not used by TAP – for summer 2022 only – Ryanair will be forced to reduce 7 planes to 4, at its base at Portela Airport, in Lisbon, at the end this week, resulting in a loss of 1 million passengers, 150 jobs and more than 250 million euros of tourist expenses in Lisbon”, said the company in a statement sent to the newsrooms.
In the same note, Ryanair's executive chairman, Michael O'Leary, said that the company wrote "to the Prime Minister, António Costa, on 16th February, asking him to act before the end of February", but as of today no response has been received.
O'Leary continues: “Since TAP will not use these 'slots' in summer 2022, they will be wasted, unless the PM intervenes and asks TAP to loan these 'slots' to Ryanair, just for the summer, to save 20 routes, one million visitors, and the 250 million euros spent by them in Lisbon”.
Ryanair, however, explains O'Leary, “will not need these 'slots' after summer 2022, since TAP will be forced, by the European Commission, to release 18 daily 'slots', from the winter of 2022 onwards”.
“For this reason, I once again ask the Prime Minister to urgently intervene to save these planes, routes, passengers, and jobs in Lisbon, for summer 2022”, stressed Mr O'Leary.
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
