After months of speculation as to whether or not Ryanair would be establishing itself in the Grand Duchy, the Irish airline held a press conference at Luxembourg Airport on Thursday.
The rumours were further fuelled by an article published in German journal the Trierischer Volksfreund last month which cited Frankfurt Hahn CEO, Markus Bunk, as saying that Ryanair would be relocating its business at the German airport to Luxembourg - a claim which was refuted by officials from Frankfurt Hahn and the Luxembourg Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure.
On Thursday morning, Ryanair's Chief Marketing Officer, Kenny Jacobs, and CEO of Luxembourg Airport, Johan Vanneste, gathered the Luxembourg press to reveal that Ryanair will be making Luxembourg its 33rd market in Europe from September 2016.
Calling the news "the worst-kept secret" amid the constant rumours, Ryanair CMO Kenny Jacobs announced that the airline will be providing two routes: five times a week to the Portuguese coastal city of Porto, with flights starting from 24.99€; and daily to London Stanstead in the English capital, with prices beginning at 19.99€.
It is a small beginning, but Mr. Jacobs stated: "We hope in the years ahead we will be bringing a lot more flights to Luxembourg Airport", expressing the airline's desire to bring tourists and business connectivity to the Grand Duchy.
The timing of the airline's arrival is due to past and current changes being brought about at the airport in Findel. Mr. Jacobs spoke of the fact that Ryanair is the fifth new airline at the airport, following LOT Polish Airlines, whilst the building itself has undergone significant changes in infrastructure with the inauguration of nine new shops and restaurants earlier this month.
However, the most significant factor enabling Ryanair to set up business here has been the introduction of an alternative handling agent with which the airline was able to negotiate, rather than Luxair to which Ryanair now presents direct competition.
The biggest aspect in the new competition will be Ryanair's promotion as a low-cost airline, with Mr. Jacobs emphasising repeatedly the company's cost advantages.
"We want to be the second biggest airline here in Luxembourg," he stated. "We want to bring growth [...] and new destinations".
According to Mr. Jacobs, there has been ongoing change in the European airline industry, with low-cost airlines holding around a 38% market share in Europe and its citizens drawing on low-cost options as a primary means of air travel.
Change is also reportedly abound specifically for Ryanair in 2016, with two flight staff members in attendance to model the new uniforms and the company unveiling the "My Ryanair" Club which provides discounts and priority access to the airline's sales for registered frequent flyers. Plans were also announced to introduce destination guides and auto check-in, with Mr. Jacobs pledging "We keep innovating [...] but we'll always keep low fares".
However, the airline's competitive prices have been criticised by some as engendering poor working conditions and Ryanair closed its base at Billund airport in Denmark after Copenhagen's mayor equated staff wages to "social dumping". Mr. Jacobs side-stepped these allegations at the press conference on Thursday, wisecracking "I know I myself am close to burn-out" before claiming that the airline is in compliance with EU legislation and that demand for Ryanair positions was still high: "We've got over 6,000 people wanting to join Ryanair as cabin crew and flight staff".
Regarding the impact that business in Luxembourg could have on neighbouring Frankfurt-Hahn, Mr. Jacobs affirmed "We remain committed to Hahn" and declared that the 1.8 million customers at the airport meant that "Frankfurt Hahn is an extremely important airport for us".
Ryanair claimed to have been attracted to Luxemoburg as a "big inbound and outbound business destination", as well as a fast-growing cultural city break.
The schedule has been announced starting from 1 September 2016 to the end of March 2017, with potentially more routes to be added for the future summer programme.
Photos by Sarah Graham
