Ryanair threatening to close bases in Italy and Spain

Ryanair is threatening to close bases in Italy and Spain in case new agreements are not reached with unions.

When speaking to investors, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said the airline is “looking at base closures in Spain where, for the moment, the unions have not yet agreed to the pay cuts we need”. O’Leary also mentioned that there was a “real risk to some of the regional bases in Italy, where you have a combination of slow pace of negotiations with unions but also the Italian government trying to impose Alitalia’s pay rates” [on other airlines, ed.].

Financially, Ryanair has been heavily struck by the crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The airline recorded a net loss of EUR 185 million over the first quarter of this year. Passenger numbers dropped by 99 percent to just 0.5 million passengers. Ryanair flew 41.9 million passengers over the same period one year earlier. The low-cost airline has already announced the closure of its Hahn base in Germany after failing to reach an agreement with pilots on cost savings. The company has also threatened to close bases at Berlin Tegel and Weeze (near Düsseldorf).