Ryanair to close base at Stockholm Skavsta Airport
Budget airline Ryanair is closing its base at Skavsta airport in Nyköping, one of the airports used for reaching the Swedish capital. But the decision doesn't mean Ryanair flights from the airport will stop completely.
Ryanair made the announcement in a press statement reported by Swedish media on Wednesday.
Closing its base means that the airline will continue to fly to and from Stockholm Skavsta Airport, but will not keep planes or staff at the site.
The low-cost carrier currently traffics around 30 routes from Skavsta, and it is not yet clear how many of these would be cancelled. The other airline which uses Skavsta, Wizz Air, will continue to have a base there.
Nyköping city commissioner Urban Granström said the move from the airline was "a sad decision".
"Skavsta is an important development engine for Nyköping and the southern Stockholm region so it's obvious that this is a sad decision," he said. "Skavsta is a major employer, but exactly what this news means is too early to say. There is a danger that it could affect the number of employees."
Aviation expert Jan Ohlsson said that Ryanair's decision could also push up flight prices.
"A certain portion of Ryanair's traffic could be poached by SAS and Norwegian, but probably with more expensive ticket prices. This will definitely push up flight costs," said Ohlsson. "Those who will be affected are Swedish travellers who will get more expensive tickets, and Nyköping and Skavsta Airport which will lose work opportunities."
The decision is the second time in a short space of time that an airline has chosen to reduce its operations in Sweden.
Last week Norwegian announced that it would be stopping all long distance flights from Stockholm and Copenhagen due to low profitability on the Swedish market.
Vocabulary
airline – (ett) flygbolag
decision – (ett) beslut
staff – personal
employer – (en) arbetsgivare
employee – (en) anställd
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Ryanair made the announcement in a press statement reported by Swedish media on Wednesday.
Closing its base means that the airline will continue to fly to and from Stockholm Skavsta Airport, but will not keep planes or staff at the site.
The low-cost carrier currently traffics around 30 routes from Skavsta, and it is not yet clear how many of these would be cancelled. The other airline which uses Skavsta, Wizz Air, will continue to have a base there.
Nyköping city commissioner Urban Granström said the move from the airline was "a sad decision".
"Skavsta is an important development engine for Nyköping and the southern Stockholm region so it's obvious that this is a sad decision," he said. "Skavsta is a major employer, but exactly what this news means is too early to say. There is a danger that it could affect the number of employees."
Aviation expert Jan Ohlsson said that Ryanair's decision could also push up flight prices.
"A certain portion of Ryanair's traffic could be poached by SAS and Norwegian, but probably with more expensive ticket prices. This will definitely push up flight costs," said Ohlsson. "Those who will be affected are Swedish travellers who will get more expensive tickets, and Nyköping and Skavsta Airport which will lose work opportunities."
The decision is the second time in a short space of time that an airline has chosen to reduce its operations in Sweden.
Last week Norwegian announced that it would be stopping all long distance flights from Stockholm and Copenhagen due to low profitability on the Swedish market.
Vocabulary
airline – (ett) flygbolag
decision – (ett) beslut
staff – personal
employer – (en) arbetsgivare
employee – (en) anställd
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