Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Michael O'Leary, chief executive, Ryanair, at Ireland West Airport Knock yesterday (monday) where four new Ryanair routes to Milan, Paris, Frankfurt and Barcelona were announced. Pic Keith Heneghan

IRELAND West Airport Knock received an early Christmas present yesterday (Monday) with the announcement of four new direct Ryanair services to and from Barcelona, Frankfurt, Milan and Paris, starting next March.

This represents a significant milestone for the airport and the western region as it provides scheduled direct air access for the first time to the important mainland European markets of France, Germany and Italy.

The new services will provide significant inbound air access for tourists from these markets wishing to visit the west and north west who, before this, could not get direct flights into the region while providing critical access for both outbound business and leisure travellers from the west and north west.

 

The services from France, Germany and Italy in particular will provide over 45,000 inbound seats for new visitors to the region, with the potential of generating an associated tourism spend of over €23 million for the local economy.

This announcement marks another chapter in the airport’s relationship and development with Ryanair as it expands their route network to 14 scheduled destinations across the UK and to the key European markets of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said: “The new routes will deliver over 500,000 passengers and sustain more than 500 jobs in the region next summer.

“To celebrate our 14 routes from Ireland West Knock, Ryanair is releasing one million seats with fares from €9.99 for travel across Europe in January on www.ryanair.com.”

Joe Gilmore, managing director, Ireland West Airport Knock, added: “Ryanair will deliver airline capacity in excess of 100,000 inbound/outbound seats, providing low cost direct access for European tourists to the beautiful west coast of Ireland and a major boost for tourism in this region.

“We hope these new services will attract the full support of all in the region as they will require even greater effort on all our behalf to ensure they are a success and are maintained for the longer term.”

Starting on March 27, flights from Ireland West Airport Knock to Paris (Beauvais), Frankfurt (Hahn) and Barcelona (Girona) will depart every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with flights to Milan (Bergamo) starting on March 25 and operating every Wednesday and Sunday.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny joined Mr. O’Leary for the announcement, which has been widely welcomed across the region

Minister for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, welcomed the news, stating the new routes would be a significant boost for Knock and for the connectivity of the western region as a whole.

He said: “This is a very positive development from a tourism perspective and will provide greater ease of access to the west for business and leisure travellers from the European mainland, an important target market for Irish tourism.”

Deputy John O’Mahony, has said the announcement is further proof that Ireland West Airport Knock is one of the best managed airports in the country.
He added: “This is hugely significant news and is further evidence of the role being played by Ireland West Airport Knock in the development of the region”

Tourism Ireland warmly welcomed the announcement. Their chief executive, Niall Gibbons, said: “The introduction of these new Ryanair flights is fantastic news. They will certainly expand travel options for German, French, Italian and Spanish holidaymakers who wish to visit Mayo and the west of Ireland.

“We are already working closely with Ryanair and Ireland West Airport Knock to maximise the demand for these new routes and boost tourism to the area.”

For further airport information, log onto www.irelandwestairport.com and for information on fares and to book flights, log onto www.ryanair.com.