Ryanair confirmed today it would push with negotiations to site an aircraft maintenance base on mainland Europe, saying its controversial bid to establish the facility in Dublin airport would not longer be pursued.
The airline is expecting to seal a deal on a new maintenance facility at one of their existing bases in Frankfurt, Madrid or Milan within two months.
Contentious proposals to take over hangar six at Dublin Airport foundered after Aer Lingus refused to vacate the premises for which it has a lease from Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).
The fall-out sparked a political storm at a time when Ireland is facing record joblessness while claims and counter-claims were made about Ryanair’s motives for acquiring the hangar.
Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara confirmed the airline is pressing ahead with talks with two airports in mainland Europe to create 300 jobs at an overseas engineering facility.
“Unfortunately, it’s closed off now from an Irish point of view,” he said. “It’s certainly going to be in continental Europe, it’s unlikely to be in the UK at this stage.”
Last month, Labour TD Tommy Broughan claimed in an Oireachtas transport committee that Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary had already made a decision to site the jobs in Germany.
Appearing before the committee, the airline boss did not deny the claims but insisted they were also considering their other maintenance bases abroad.
Ryanair originally insisted it would create 500 well-paid engineering jobs in Dublin if it was granted hangar six, but later created 200 jobs at Prestwick Airport, near Glasgow.
Mr McNamara said the second European maintenance facility would be up and running by October.
“The refusal to sell or lease Hangar 6 to Ryanair in 2009 proves that this government prefers to protect the DAA monopoly who subsequently allowed Aer Lingus to move into the facility, an airline with no heavy maintenance in Ireland and no use for such a large hangar, and which is cutting up to 900 jobs,” he said.
“Ryanair will now move to finalise a deal with one of the other European governments and airports who are interested in securing these engineering jobs and are working with Ryanair to sustain investment and jobs at their airports instead of waffling on about the ‘complexities’ and ‘barriers’ to job creation like Ireland’s dithering and incompetent Government.”