Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair is permanently closing its base at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. The base was already closed this winter season and will not reopen at the end of March, the company announced on Wednesday.
While customers will still be able to book Ryanair flights on 12 routes that will continue to operate to and from Brussels Airport Zaventem on aircraft based outside Belgium, the company is not reopening its base at the airport.
“Despite recent rumours, we will not be reopening our Brussels Zaventem base in summer 2023 due to Zaventem Airport’s decision to increase prices by 11% for airlines and passengers from April 2023," Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said in a press release.
"Ryanair’s flights on 109 routes to and from Charleroi will be unaffected by this decision and we look forward to welcoming millions of Belgian customers and visitors onboard our flights to/from both Brussels Charleroi and Zaventem Airports this summer," O'Leary added.
59 jobs on the line
The unions were informed by management on Wednesday, as the closure threatens the jobs of 59 people and may also see a number of summer destinations at Brussels Airport scrapped, Hans Elsen of the ACV Puls union told Belga News Agency. "As an explanation for the closure, the management refers to the fact that it could not reach an agreement with Brussels Airport on lower fares."
He also denounced the "bizarre form of competition between Charleroi Airport and Zaventem," as the fares at Charleroi are now unrealistically low. "Ryanair cleverly exploits those cheap fares at secondary airports to make a profit."
Last year, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary already referred to higher costs and taxes at Brussels Airport when he announced the closure of the company's base in winter. At that point, he already warned then that he could not guarantee that the base would return after the winter.
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As feared, Elsen now confirmed that the base is indeed not reopening, which will likely result in 59 losing their jobs. "I hope Ryanair will apply the 'Renault procedure' correctly so that alternative employment can be sought, for example at the Charleroi base."
The Renault law defines the procedure a company must follow if it wants to implement a collective redundancy: above all, it gives staff and unions more time to examine the impact of the redundancies and possible alternatives, for example.
Since the start of the winter season, Ryanair did not have any aircraft based at Brussels Airport. The closure does not mean that Ryanair flights would not land or depart, as flights are still operated through aircraft based at foreign airports.
