The low-cost airline Ryanair has decided to cease its operations in Fuerteventura as from January 31st 2009, a move which leaves 5,000 people holding tickets they can’t use.
Ryanair justified the decision by stating that a local grouping of businessmen, the Agrupación de Interés Económico Fomento del Desarrollo Turístico de Fuerteventura, were in breach of an agreement to promote the island as a tourist destination.
Ryanair operates 23 flights per week to nine international destinations and claim that, since they began flying to and from Fuertaventura in 2006, the number of passengers has increased from 2,000 to more than 200,000. The company say they have made every effort to encourage the AIE to honour their side of the agreement.
Ryanair is refunded the ticket price to the 5,000 affected pasengers, but is currently refusing to compensate anyone for car or hotel reservations they made, even if those reservations were made via the Ryanair website.
The Ryanair routes and flights which will stop are:
Birmingham (three flights per week), Bremen (two flights), Dublin (two flights), Düsseldorf (one flight), East Midlands (three flights), Frankfurt (two flights), Liverpool (three flights); London (three flights) and Shannon (one flight)