Home » AIRLINE NEWS » Ryanair Slashes 50% Of Flights At Warsaw Modlin Airport For Winter 2024 Amid Cost Disputes
Saturday, August 17, 2024
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Ryanair cuts 50% of its Modlin flights for winter 2024 after failed cost negotiations.
Ryanair, the largest airline in Europe, announced today (August 15) that it will reduce its operations at Warsaw Modlin Airport by 50% for the winter of 2024. This decision follows more than a year of unsuccessful negotiations with the airport’s management to establish a competitive cost base that would enable Ryanair to further develop its low-cost flights from Modlin during the winter season of 2024. Ryanair will continue to serve 22 routes from/to Modlin and will also offer 6 budget connections from/to Warsaw Chopin for the winter season of 2024/25.
These cuts will result in a reduction of Ryanair’s based aircraft at Modlin from 5 to 4 starting at the end of October. Some of this passenger traffic will be shifted to new routes and added capacity at Warsaw Chopin Airport. Ryanair will resume negotiations with the new management team at Warsaw Modlin Airport, which is set to be appointed in mid-September. However, if an agreement on a competitive cost base comparable to those offered at other airports in Poland is not reached, Ryanair will not be able to expand its low-cost flight operations at Warsaw Modlin Airport.
Jason McGuinness, Chief Commercial Officer of Ryanair, expressed disappointment over the stalled negotiations at Modlin Airport, stating, “For over a year, we have been in talks with the management and supervisory board of Modlin Airport to secure a low-cost agreement that would facilitate further passenger growth at Modlin. Currently, the airport’s management is undergoing changes, and there’s no one willing to make development decisions until a new management team is appointed.”
McGuinness highlighted the operational challenges faced by Ryanair due to these protracted delays, “We cannot afford these long delays or sustain losses at Modlin during the 2024 winter season, offering very low fares needed to stimulate demand at Warsaw’s second airport, while the management tries to impose fees typical of major airports. We regret these cuts, but they will create more development opportunities at other Polish airports, including Chopin Airport in Warsaw, where we welcome the government’s recent decision to increase capacity to 30 million passengers per year.”
Despite the reductions, Ryanair will continue to operate 22 connections to and from Modlin this winter. However, reduced capacity will mean higher ticket prices for consumers, reflecting the unjustifiably high costs at Modlin. McGuinness added, “We will also offer 6 routes to and from Chopin Airport, meeting the growing needs of Warsaw residents and visitors who wish to fly with Ryanair at low prices to and from the capital.”
Ryanair eagerly awaits the appointment of the new management team at Modlin in September. “We hope to quickly reach an agreement on a new long-term development/cost agreement, which would allow us to reverse these cuts and return to growth in traffic and employment for the summer season of 2025,” McGuinness concluded.
