The Dublin-based carrier´s boss, Michael O´Leary, said the uncertainty created by the decision to leave the European Union had led it to cut its planned rate of United Kingdom capacity expansion next year from 15% to 6%, Reuters reported.
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Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said Ryanair had stimulated travel demand by reducing summer prices by 9 percent after Britain’s June vote to leave the EU, but was not sure what would happen from October onwards, when Europeans take fewer holidays.
O’Leary had campaigned vociferously for Britain to stay in the EU. “That was London and the UK’s gain”, he said.
The company said European summer holidaymakers were now less inclined to go to Turkey and Greece, with British and German sun-seekers heading in greater numbers to southern Spain and Portugal instead.
The government is weighing up whether to build a new runway at London Heathrow or London Gatwick.
Speaking in the capital on Wednesday (31 August), O’Leary urged May to give the green light to new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, insisting it was a necessary measure to solve the ongoing capacity issue that has beset airports in the south east of England.
“It will be the acid test of Theresa May’s new government, post-Brexit”, he said.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has called on the United Kingdom government to approve the development of three new runways in London to meet capacity demand for the future.
In future Ryanair hopes its mobile phone app will become the core way of booking.
Revealing how the vote had impacted flying so far, he said: “The weaker sterling means lower fares in the short term, which is great for the customer”.
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The company said its average airfare was 46 euros ($39).
