Ryanair to Rodez: changes to come?

[Clair]

This roughly translated article in today's Dépêche du Midi:

[quote]Low-cost Irish company Ryanair could well migrate

under other skies for the winter.

It is strongly suggested that flights to London for the period from October to March

be suspended and only summer flights be kept for profitability.

Nothing is being officially confirmed. Michel Tournier of

the CCI, who takes over the revolving presidency of the SEM in the

management of the airport, will only comment that “the question can

indeed be asked for winter flights, but that the problem does

not only relate to the Aveyron airport”. No comments is forthcoming from Ryanair. Its marketing

director, Mathieu Glasson is refusing to confirm or deny any rumour. He even stresses:

“We cancelled some lines, which is extremely rare, fifteen days ago,

within the reorganization of the framework of some of our bases, and if

we had had to do it with yours, we would have done it at the same

time”.

The Irish company started in 2003 in the Aveyron and celebrated its 250 000th passenger on 28 February. Last year, some 68 000 people flew on the Rodez-London line. They were 8.000 fewer than in

2005. “A reduction of no consequence, since the objective of this

connection is 40.000 passengers per annum”, had declared Mr. Glasson[/quote]

[Ron Avery]

They only flew Tuesday and Saturday this winter, with the odd Thursday from time to time and that may have deterred a lot of people from using the route, some people I spoke to were coming back to Toulouse or Carcassonne because of the restricted flight days, it was three flights a week in the winter of 2005, but saying that all the flights that I have met or been on this winter have seemed pretty full and that is using the bigger 737-800 planes.  You might have also read that Rodez is to have a major extension to it's buildings and facilities which when finished will double the capacity, so I doubt that Ryanair are unhappy with the traffic potential on this route, unless of course Air France are planning flights to other than Lyon and Paris.