Ryanair Guns For Third Base in Spain

Ryanair will announce a third base in Spain by the end of 2007 and fly twice as many passengers to the world’s second biggest tourist destination by 2010, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on last week.

The Irish airline started flying to Spain in 2002 with a base in Girona, near Barcelona, and is setting up a second permanent hub in Madrid, where it will keep three planes and employ around 500 extra staff.

Ryanair said it would fly 9 million people to and from Spain in the next 12 months, and would be flying 18 million by 2010 as part of a target to hit a group total of 80 million passengers in five years time, from around 40 million today.

Mr. O’Leary said the airline was negotiating with five airports with a view to choosing one to become its next Spanish base but declined to say which they were. Ryanair flies to several destinations around Spain.