Birmingham: Ryanair Route Flights, New Routes & Base Updates

[Bhx_fifteen]

I would like to see Ryanair operate from BHX to Athens. They have a relatively large Base there so I can certainly see it happening. Aegean only fly 2 x weekly from end of June to end of September. I believe they can Co exist as they offer very different products - Ryanair offer value for money & Aegean offer excellent onward connections to the Greek Islands from their main hub. Ryanair may be able to sustain more passengers/operate year round too, as they have a big pretense at both ends (I.e. BHX & ATH) and not just ATH.

 

[Ray Finkle]

nice to hear him stress such sentiments, but in good Ryanair style, the caveats are very clear.... "Subject to demand, space at the airport and our fleet"... which cynically of me you could say about any route

I thought the same thing but 'space at the airport' seems a strange one.

Are there early hints that they may potentially be looking at more based aircraft for 2017?

Flybe will have 14 based from September so T2 will be getting tight.

 

[juliet-fox-9]

The inaugural Corfu flight arrives tomorrow at 0755 if anyone wants to pop down to BHX and see if there's a water cannon salute 🙂

 

[Brum X]

The inaugural Corfu flight arrives tomorrow at 0755 if anyone wants to pop down to BHX and see if there's a water cannon salute 🙂

It makes me happy when the Greece flights start arriving at BHX, its confirmation that summer is finally here. Well in southern europe it is. Its like flippin winter here

 

[Butty]

The inaugural Corfu flight arrives tomorrow at 0755 if anyone wants to pop down to BHX and see if there's a water cannon salute 🙂

Is there a water cannon salute every time an airline starts up a route even if that route is already served and the airline already serves the airport? Excuse my ignorance on this. Thanks.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I very much doubt the water cannons will be out. They're normally reserved for new airlines, new aircraft or extra special occasions.

 

[Bhx_fifteen]

Seat map for FR flight from Birmingham to Corfu tomorrow is showing just 10 seats left meaning a LF of 95%.

Excellent for a new route (especially as it's pretty early in the season for Greece). Hopefully this gives Ryanair a vote of confidence & reassures them that further expansion here at BHX is a good idea!

I know it's a while off, but I really look forward to FR's S17 schedule from BHX. If W16/17's 45% expansion & the recent article posted in this thread are anything to go by, we'll be in for a treat. 👍

 

[nwoody2001]

well there is a lot of time between now and then, we could even see new routes added to the winter schedule yet....

 

[Ray Finkle]

It's a real sign of the times that Ryanair are now selling seats through tour operators. Definitely positive noises from them and they have alot of potential in Greee, Italy and Germany.

 

[Aviador]

I don't know if it's already posted but Ryanair are to commence flights to Warsaw from Birmingham #routenews #ryanair

 

[nwoody2001]

Indeed.... Warsaw (WMI) 3x weekly Mon, Wed ,Fri from 31st October! That's is the second Wizz Route they are competing with now!!!

Unlike when RYR have competed in the past, the things that comforts me here is that RYR will be operating to WMI and not WAW but Wizz Operate Sat, Tue, Thu... so we will have daily flights to Warsaw Mon-Sat...

 

[nwoody2001]

official press release.....

New Birmingham Route To Warsaw
26 Apr 2016

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (26 Apr) further expanded its Birmingham winter 2016 schedule with a new route to Warsaw, in addition to a new route to Sofia which was announced earlier, which will help deliver over 2mcustomers p.a. and support 1,500* jobs at Birmingham Airport.

Ryanair’s Birmingham winter 2016 schedule will deliver:

• 2 new routes: Sofia (3 weekly) & Warsaw (3 weekly)
• 4 new winter services to Madrid (4 wkly), Murcia (2 wkly), Verona (2 wkly) & Vilnius (2 wkly)
• More flights to: Barcelona (daily), Fuerteventura (2 wkly), Gran Canaria (2 wkly),

Malaga (5 wkly), Malta (3 wkly) & Tenerife (4 wkly)

• 22 routes in total
• 111 weekly flights
• 2m customers p.a. (+50%)
• 1,500* “on-site” jobs p.a.

Ryanair is the ideal choice for business and leisure customers, who can now choose from 22 Birmingham routes in winter 2016 and look forward to further improvements, under Ryanair’s “Always Getting Better” programme, which includes more new routes, new digital features, new cabin interiors and even more low fares.

NEW BIRMINGHAM WINTER 2016 ROUTES

Sofia

3 x weekly

Warsaw

3 x weekly

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:

“We are pleased to launch this new route from Birmingham to Warsaw, as part of our significantly expanded winter 2016 schedule, which will help deliver 2 million customers and support 1,500* on-site jobs p.a. at Birmingham Airport, as we grow by over 50%.

To celebrate our new route to Warsaw, we are releasing seats for sale from just £19.99, which are available for booking until Wednesday (4 May) for travel in November and December. Since these amazing low prices will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto www.ryanair.com and avoid missing out.”

- See more at: http://corporate.ryanair.com/news/n...ute-to-warsaw/?market=en#sthash.iOBDNlVP.dpuf

 

[juliet-fox-9]

Fantastic news! We could also do with more Budapest and Hamburg flights, but if they choose to start Bucharest, Eastern Europe could get very interesting all of a sudden with LOT also rumoured on WAW 😀

 

[Paulsstrange]

Wasnt aware LOT were actually rumoured to be looking at BHX anytime soon?

 

[Ray Finkle]

LOT posted 'we'll be in Birmingham soon', or words to that effect, on social media. They'd have to be brave now.

This news blows that article, that showed how Ryanair and Wizz kept away from each other, out of the water. As said Wizz have a big advantage in that they use Chopin rather than Modlin.

So with Wizz going up to 3x weekly then using A321's from September there will be quite a battle. Will they start Katowice or Gdansk in retaliation?

When Ryanair announced Madrid I said I wouldn't put it past them to bring back Warsaw, Budapest and Lisbon. I wonder what the odds of that would be now?

 

[nwoody2001]

Interesting though as I posted elsewhere.

Wizz operates WAW 3x weekly Sat, Tue, Thu
Ryanair operates WMI 3x weekly Mon, Wed, Fri

Yes this is competition and more choice, but unlike MAD where RYR operate to the same airport, on the same days at the same time as IBX, this is almost a complimentary schedule! BHX now has daily flights to Warsaw (ex sun)!

Plus also, what's to say that this news exhausts demand? Luton alone offers 3x flights daily / 21x flights weekly to WAW, we are no-where near the bloodbath that's about to happen at BHX-BCN and BHX-MAD... If LOT were interested in BHX, were to price their flights appropriately and offer good business times and/or onward connections, I still think they would be in with a decent chance!

 

[nwoody2001]

...and look at it in the wider context, after YEARS of stagnation, we have had Corfu, Madrid, Sofia, Verona, Vilnius, and Warsaw all new routes announced by Ryanair in the last 6 months!!!

 

[Ray Finkle]

I think it's a good thing.

They've filled in the days Wizz don't operate to Warsaw in the same way that they did with Sofia. I happen to agree that there is probably room for two players, Poland does well, you only have to look at new routes to Poznan and Wroclaw to see that.

Next summer will be interesting, with Wizz now using A321's and likely to increase frequency will Ryanair go head to head and increase too? I'd say that this is a different situation to Madrid and between them the two should hopefully stimulate the market and we'll see numbers soar 👍

P.S. I think Wizz starting Katowice and/or Gdansk would also be a good thing 😉

 

[thunderchild]

I just hope that Ryanair are committed to these new routes. With announcements like this I do wonder what the route development team think - Ryanair stagnate for ages showing no interest in growth or new routes. Hard work is done to secure the likes of Wizz, Norwegian etc and then suddenly Ryanair start the same routes. If Wizz etc were to pull the plug and then Ryanair drop them BHX is back to square one.

However I don't see a need to panic just yet - while Sofia and Warsaw are clearly to compete with Wizz the schedules shouldn't cause a bloodbath.

As for MAD well that's another story - personally I think MON will be the casualty but who knows?

And to echo Ray I wouldn't be surprised to see Ryanair launch Lisbon next summer either.

 

[Brum X]

Great to see Ryanair further expand there BHX operation.

Do we now have the biggest ever operation at BHX for Ryanair ???