Breaking News: Four new Ryanair routes launched at Leeds-Bradford

LOW cost airline Ryanair today announced plans to operate four new routes from Leeds-Bradford Airport as it dramatically expands its winter schedule.

Ryanair will start operating flights to Gdansk, Fuerteventura, Dusseldorf and Barcelona as its winter schedule expands from three routes last winter to 13 this year. It will be the first time Gdansk has been served directly from Leeds-Bradford.

The airline, which opened a base at the airport in March this year, expects the decision to see its passenger numbers through Leeds-Bradford rise to one million and help support as many as 1,000 jobs in the region.

The announcement is a vote of confidence in Leeds-Bradford and the wider region at a time when airlines globally, including Ryanair, are cutting back their operations.

Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley said there was a “massive pent-up demand” in the Yorkshire region for affordable air travel and demand overseas from people wanting to visit.

“Leeds is blessed with an excellent landscape and an excellent management team developing the airport. We are very happy to be partnered with them presiding over marvellous success here and that gives us confidence to announce four more routes.”

Leeds-Bradford is expecting to see passenger numbers rise from 2.5m in the year to March 2010, to more than 3.3m in the current year, with Ryanair responsible for a significant proportion of that growth.

Leeds-Bradford Airport chief executive John Parkin said: “We are delighted to unveil an exciting new Ryanair winter schedule from Leeds-Bradford with a great mix of low fares routes to winter sun and city break destinations as well as connections to the East and West of Ireland.

“Leeds-Bradford is bucking the trend in the UK with Ryanair growth which will see more Ryanair passengers, flights and routes from Leeds-Bradford this winter.”

The winter schedule will being at the start of November.