Oswaldo Betancort, the President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, has offered his evaluation of Ryanair’s choice to scale back certain operations within the Canary Islands, underscoring that the consequences for Lanzarote will be minimal.
Data indicates the island’s weekly flights will decrease from 135 last winter to 131 in the upcoming season, a reduction of just four flights. In terms of routes, the number will drop from 40 to 35, with the elimination of connections to Marseille, Luton, Turin, Barcelona, and Dakhla in Africa. This is counterbalanced by the introduction of a new route to Alicante and increased frequencies on several mainland routes, which serves to largely mitigate the overall effect.
Betancort stated, “The actual impact on Lanzarote is practically insignificant, both in terms of flight volume and connectivity. This is a pressure tactic the company has historically employed with the Spanish State, linked to AENA fees and disputes with competition and consumer authorities.”
The president noted that while “no tourist is unwelcome and we should never celebrate a reduction in routes,” the Cabildo is actively working to reinforce the island’s air connectivity with airlines that hold greater strategic value and profitability for the destination, such as British Airways, Iberia, and carriers from North America.
“Our objective is to diversify our markets and attract a visitor profile that raises the average spending at the destination, which translates to greater prosperity for the island and more sustainable tourism in the long term,” Betancort added.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!