BUSINESS LEADERS in the southwest reacted with disappointment and anger yesterday to the news that Ryanair is to cease operating services from Dublin to Cork and Kerry.
The airline said it was ceasing the Dublin-Cork service – the only commercial flight link between the two cities – from October 30th because of a “marked decline” on traffic on the route. It said this had come about because of improvements in the Dublin-Cork motorway, which had reduced driving time between the two.
The airline said another factor in the decision was the “continued excessive monopoly charges” by the Dublin Airport Authority, which runs both airports.
It blamed the decision to axe the Kerry route on the Government’s “imposition” of a subsidised operation on the route from November 3rd.
This was a reference to the planned introduction of two subsidised return flights a day between Dublin and Kerry under a new “public service obligation” contract administered by the Department of Transport.
A number of airlines have tendered for the route but the contract, expected to commence in November, has not yet been awarded, a spokeswoman for the department said yesterday.
Ryanair said it would cease Dublin-Kerry flights from September 7th, but it would operate “all-Ireland flights” on September 17th, 18th and 19th. Kerry play in the All-Ireland football final on Sunday, September 18th.
The airline said passengers booked to travel on the routes after the closure dates would be refunded.
Airport officials in Cork said they were “disappointed but not surprised” at the decision. Capacity on the Cork-Dublin route had already dropped from a peak of 12 flights per day to just two at present.
Aer Arann operated nine of the 12 flights but ceased operating the route in August 2010.
Ryanair operates an aircraft with capacity for 189 passengers on the route. Airport authorities are eager to secure a new airline to take over the route with a smaller aircraft.
Business leaders in Cork called for a new operator on the route to be found without delay.
Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy said the southwest had significant requirements for international connectivity and the Dublin route played an integral part in meeting these needs.
“We are confident that the opportunity to meet this demand will be grasped sooner rather than later.”
Irish Hotels Federation Cork branch chairman Donagh Davern said the loss was a huge blow for Cork, which was attempting to maximise marketing opportunities following the visit of Queen Elizabeth in May.
“We had been trying to make positive inroads into the UK and US markets in the wake of the Queen’s visit, so this is a real disappointment.”
The decision to axe the Kerry route was heavily criticised in the county.
Local business representatives as well as directors of the airport have repeatedly blamed the downturn in traffic on the route on the flight schedule offered by Ryanair.
They claim most flights leave Kerry in the afternoon and the lack of regular early morning and late evening returns make it impossible to do a full day’s business in Dublin or to make connections for onward flights.
In a statement yesterday Kerry airport management said it would try to get the new subsidised route up and running early.
It would also negotiate “a frequency and timing that will be more suitable to the passenger rather than what is currently on offer”.
Killarney Chamber of Commerce said it was “shocked” by the sudden withdrawal of the service.
The decision would have a significant impact on tourism and business in Killarney and throughout the region, said Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce president Tom Randles.
He said the road journey between Dublin and Kerry was 200 miles and could take up to four hours each way, which was a major deterrent for visitors.
A Ryanair spokesman said that people in Kerry were going to get a subsidised route, “probably with another airline”.
Ryanair had previously operated three subsidised flights on the route but pulled out of this service last November, retaining just one daily return flight on a commercial basis.