Ryanair chief hails success of Manchester hub

THE rapid expansion of Ryanair’s new hub at Manchester Airport will account for all of the airport’s growth this year, according to the airline boss.

Ryanair, which opened its new hub at the airport in November, predicted it would carry 2 million passengers through Manchester in its first calendar year.

But boss Michael O’Leary told TheBusinessDesk.com that since the launch it has been a “phenomenal success”.

He said: “It’s ahead of target. We have a very good selection of routes from Manchester and now we are coming up to the summer we will go from two aircraft to four.

“This year we will account for almost all of Manchester Airport’s growth.”

Mr O’Leary, who was in Manchester to speak at the Institute of Directors annual conference, wants to grow Ryanair’s Manchester hub to at least the same size as Liverpool – where it carries 3 million passengers a year to 40 routes.

He added: “The [Manchester] base will probably stay at four aircraft for the winter. Next summer we are probably talking about five or six aircraft and taking the traffic up to between 3 million or 4 million passengers. We’d like to be at 5 million passengers within three years.”

The 26 routes the airline will be carrying from Manchester this summer will rise to 40 routes by summer 2013.

The expansion to date has created around 2,000 onsite jobs at the airport and as the hub grows that will double over the next two to three years.

Mr O’Leary said the new hub wouldn’t be possible without a “new and very dynamic team at Manchester Airport.”

“They are much more up and at ‘em,” he added. “We need lower costs at Manchester, which is what they have now delivered, but we are rewarding them with growth.

“I know I have been very critical in the past when Geoff Muirhead and crew was there – now the new team with Charlie Cornish, they are much more on the ball now.

“They have realised that they face increased competition from other regional airport hubs such as Liverpool and Leeds Bradford.”

He added: “I think we have hopefully arrived at a relationship of mutual need and mutual respect.

“Manchester are not the cheapest airport in the North West but we recognise that our costs would be a little higher than at other airports but Manchester have recognised that they have to offer us lower costs if they are going to get this kind of growth.”