Ryanair Closes Glasgow Base Due to Brexit
Ryanair announced Tuesday that it would be closing its base in Glasgow, Scotland (GLA) due in part to financial uncertainty caused by Brexit. The Irish low-cost carrier will slash the number of routes out of GLA from 23 down to only three.
"We think Brexit is particularly threatening to Scotland and its economy, and particularly to the aviation industry," Ryanair's Chief Commercial Officer David O'Brien said, according to Sky News.
The airline also estimated that the closure puts about 300 jobs at Glasgow Airport at risk. Partially to blame for the closure is Scotland's air passenger duty tax, which is a fee on passengers leaving Scottish airports, but some think the fee has a more dramatic impact on Glasgow-based fares.
"Sadly our Glasgow base will close, about half a million of those passengers will transfer through Edinburgh. The weaker Scottish economy is even weaker in Glasgow, and we simply can't bear the air passenger duty of £13 ($18)," O'Brien said.
Ryanair will continue to operate flights to Dublin (DUB), Wroclaw (WRO) and Krakow (KRK) out of Glasgow, and it will add 11 new routes to its Edinburgh (EDI) schedule, BBC reports.
The announcement came as the airline unveiled its route schedule for winter 2018. Glasgow Airport said it was "bitterly disappointed" by Ryanair's decision.
