Ryanair closes Brussels Zaventem Airport base

EchoIndia

https://www.aviation24.be/airports/brussels-airport-bru/ryanair-leaving-brussels-has-limited-impact-airport-says/

This will mean a return to Aer Lingus having a monopoly on the DUB-BRU route, unless Brussels Airlines were to give it a go.

Cookiemunster

They'll probably still fly there using aircraft based elsewhere. Makes little if any difference to the average passenger where an aircraft is based.

EchoIndia

You may be right - other articles are also unclear on what will actually happen.

VG31

They had two aircraft based at Brussels. Most routes like Dublin will continue to operate.

reality keeper

Charleroi Airport will still be served

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119603345#Comment_119603345

Yes, that was never in doubt. CRL is a busy place now. I looked up the activity there for last weekend and there were typically 80+ departures a day - the majority Ryanair but Wizz and Pegasus also in evidence.

reality keeper

This might be a stupid question and hopefully not going off topic. Apologies. Why are there many cities of similar size to Dublin with two Airports? Some much bigger than Dublin but question still stands.

Belfast, Glasgow, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, Milan, Rome, the island of Tenerife ..

L1011

In many cases it's down to the airport sector being privately held; whereas airports here are primarily state owned. Also in a lot of cases one or both are ex military bases - massively reducing the costs and risk of not being given planning consent etc for a competing airport.

There are exceptions - Belfast International was state owned but the private sector re-opened the old Belfast Harbour airport before International was privatised.

Also, simply not closing one airport when its replacement opened is another one. Both Tenerife airports are state owned - TFS was meant to replace TFN but TFN never closed. Both Rome airports were state owned - FCO basically did replace CIA but CIA grew low cost traffic back.

Munstersrebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119603406#Comment_119603406

Zavetem is in Brussels

Charleroi is about 90min south by road... but for Advertisment purposes its called Bxl south

reality keeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119603488#Comment_119603488

Thanks. Very informative.

Would splitting operations at DUB be beneficial? Such as dedicating a small airport for CTA only?

Or would we lose people from the UK using DUB and hence lose footfall and lose international routes?

EchoIndia

The background is sometimes complicated. In most cases you need to look into the history of the specific airports, most of which did not start out as simply civilian airfields. The liberalisation of air transport allowed places that didn't have substantial airline operations to build up such business.

Some examples:

Charleroi is a GA airfield and also home of SABCA Industries, which licence-built and maintains types such as the F-16.

Ciampino is a military and Government airport although it was also the main Rome Airport up to 1960.

Belfast City was RNAY Sydenham and also Shorts' factory airfield, while BFS was RAF Aldergrove and still houses military units.

Prestwick was Scotland's transatlantic airport as well as housing factory and military activity for most of its life. Glasgow used to be RNAS Abbotsinch (there was a separate civil airport at Renfrew, nearby) before becoming the main Glasgow Airport in the mid-1960s.

Board Walker

Its a pity they dont do Cork-Brussels. Id prefer to fly there and drive to Luxembourg rather than transit to Lux through AMS.

vegandinner

They’ll continue to operate the same frequencies, they’ll just reverse bases

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119603406#Comment_119603406

Usually down to one being owned by the local authority and the other by private enterprise.

From the passenger's point of view it might seem like good news but it's not. There's less choice of routes and airlines at each one, if there was just one airport they'd be competing directly which means lower fares. The likes of Belfast has two crap airports instead of one decent one... and nobody wants the scenario where you land at one airport then have to traverse the city to board your onward flight.