Ryanair to close routes from Fuerteventura in the New Year

Ryanair has today decided to close its nine routes which offer 23 weekly services to Fuerteventura with effect from January 31 2009. Ryanair claimed that more than 250,000 annual passengers will now be lost travelling to and from the Canary Island.

The move was previously threatened by the budget carrier but is now being made definite after Ryanair claimed local tourism group AIE failed to honour a commercial agreement to promote the island as a tourist destination.

Ryanair will cease all services to Fuerteventura including Birmingham (3 a week), Bremen (2), Dublin (2), Dusseldorf (Weeze) (4), East Midlands (3), Frankfurt (2), Liverpool (3), London (3) and Shannon (1).

I beleive that a lot of places that the budget airlines fly to subsidise the low cost carriers to boost visitor numbers. Ryanair's decision is likely to also be influenced by the global reccession. I feel for the people with holiday homes there. I don't know who else fly's to Fuerteventura but otherwise you'd have to get a connecting flight from the mainland.