RE: Ryanair Opens another European Base – Stockholm Skavsta !!!

from the Evening Times

BUDGET airline Ryanair will fly from Prestwick to Stockholm, it was confirmed today.

The Irish carrier will launch a daily service on April 4, with tickets starting at £41 one-way.

The announcement, two weeks after negotiations were revealed by the Evening Times, marks the 10th new flight by Ryanair from Prestwick.

Ryanair boasted that it would bring 50,000 people a year to Glasgow and earn £14million for the Scottish economy.

The company has set up a base at Skavsta Airport, Stockholm’s No2 hub.

Glasgow’s tourism bosses believe golf-mad Swedes will flood into the city and nearby.

The Evening Times revealed late last year that Swedish low-cost operator Malmo Aviation would offer a summer service from south Sweden to Glasgow.

Glasgow still lags well behind Prestwick in the range of direct daily scheduled international links.

But the airport, Scotland’s biggest thanks to a booming sunshine charter business, was tipped today to secure a vital link with Germany.

Aviation experts believe German national carrier Lufthansa will announce a new route from Glasgow to Munich within days. And it could be opened as early as March.

Glasgow Airport owners BAA Scottish Airports and Lufthansa refused today to confirm or deny the report.

The route will have to compete with Ryanair, which flies to Frankfurt from Prestwick.

Lufthansa will unveil its summer timetable within a week.

Industry sources expect its European regional wing, CityLine, to announce the Glasgow flights.

A daily Munich route would be Glasgow Airport’s biggest boost since it announced £60m in airport charge discounts last July.

Glasgow politicians will watch closely to see if BAA can secure the route, highlighted as one of the most important for Scotland by Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace.

Glasgow lost its Lufthansa link with Germany, a key business route, years ago.

City Council, business and tourism leaders have lobbied for its restoration ever since.

A spokesman for council leader Charles Gordon said: “Germany is an extremely important market for Glasgow.

“Munich has tremendous potential as a business and leisure destination.”

Two weeks ago the Evening Times revealed low-cost giant Germanwings wanted to launch daily budget flights between Edinburgh and Cologne.