Three new routes axed from JLA

Aug 7 2007

John Lennon Airport (320)

THREE more routes are being axed at Liverpool John Lennon airport sparking fears of a fall in passenger growth.

But airport bosses today said new routes and changed timetables will more than make up for the lost links.

Air Malta will end its flights from the city on September 3 while Flybe will cease its links with Liverpool by ending flights to Southampton on September 3 and Jersey at the end of September.

Flyglobespan, which has already said it will suspend its New York service at the end of October, now also will not operate a winter service to Tenerife.

Meanwhile the airport’s two biggest customers Ryanair and easyJet, are scaling back flight frequencies.

Ryanair is reducing the number of journeys to Barcelona, Milan, Venice, Granada, Riga, Limoges, Pisa, Reus and Carcassonne.

Also flights to Alghero, Bergerac, Nimes, Santander and Santiago are summer only routes.

EasyJet is cutting back on flights to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Cologne and Faro.

VLM’s route to London City airport was axed on June 29 due to poor passenger numbers.VLM’s route to London City airport was axed on June 29 due to poor passenger numbers.

But airport spokesman Robin Tudor argued Liverpool’s expansion will continue in line with its current 13% growth rate.

He said: “This is all stuff we have known and additional services will compensate for this.

“For example Wizz Air has announced a new route to Bucharest and easyJet will add some services in the winter. “We are still talking to easyJet and Ryanair and other carriers about future growth.”

Ryanair will announce new routes to ski resorts tomorrow which Mr Tudor said could attract more passengers.

“What we have seen in Liverpool is new route, new route, new route. But when a route doesn’t work we think there’s a problem, but there isn’t. Some routes don’t work and Ryanair will cut routes but replace them with something else.”

Mr Tudor said the airport expects to handle 5.4 million passengers this year, compared with just under 5 million in 2006.