Ryanair today (21 Dec) announced its biggest ever Summer’23 schedule in Porto and Faro with 18 new routes (121 total), including Barcelona, Rome, Stockholm and Toulouse, which will drive year-round tourism to regional Portugal. Ryanair will base two additional aircraft at Porto and Faro (4 in total) from Summer’23, representing a $400m incremental investment in regional Portugal and creating 120 new highly paid local jobs.
This growth at Porto and Faro is a direct result of ANAC, the Portuguese Airport Regulator, intervening to stop monopoly airport operator ANA from introducing excessive airport charges in both airports. Regrettably, ANAC’s intervention has not gone far enough across other airports, with Lisbon, Madeira and Azores having significantly increased charges.
On top of excessive charges, a further threat to Portugal’s tourism growth looms in the form of ETS taxes which unfairly target short-haul flights and have recently been proposed to include the EU’s outermost regions including Madeira from as early as 2024. If approved, tourists will face higher costs when visiting Madeira vs. other non-European holiday destinations meaning the island will likely lose visitors to non-EU destinations such as Morocco, Turkey and Jordan who are exempt from paying ETS taxes.
Ryanair has been driving Portugal’s tourism recovery, with an outstanding contribution of over €15bn to Portugal’s economy over the last 20 years, as recently quantified by an independent report by PwC. In order to continue delivering Portugal’s tourism recovery and growth across all regions of Portugal, Ryanair calls on ANAC and ANA to extend the reduction of airport charges to all Portuguese airports and calls once again on the Portuguese Govt to confirm the opening of the new Lisbon airport as soon as possible.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:
“We’re pleased to announce our biggest ever Summer schedule today for Faro and Porto with 18 new routes (121 total) and the addition of 4 new aircraft ($400m investment), following reduced airport charges at both airports. Regrettably, airport charges have significantly increased at Lisbon, Madeira and Azores, putting growth – especially for two island-based economies completely dependent on tourism – at risk.
We are calling on ANA and ANAC today to extend reduction in charges to all airports to encourage growth and boost tourism, Portugal’s no.1 economic driver.
For our Portuguese customers/visitors who will now benefit from Ryanair’s growth at Faro and Porto with 18 exciting new routes to avail of this summer, we are launching a 3-day seat sale with fares from just €29.99 which must be booked by 23rd December for travel from April to October next year.”