Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) Chief Marketing Officer, Kenny Jacobs, says his airline is now looking to begin flights out of the Dutch city of Lelystad, to compliment its planned operations out of Amsterdam Schiphol.
"One scenario is that we will operate business routes from Amsterdam Schipol while Lelystad will focus more on tourist routes," Jacobs was quoted as saying by the Zakenreis Nieuws site.
The Netherlands' largest general aviation airport, Lelystad's runway and passenger terminal are currently being upgraded to allow for the operation of both A320 and B737 aircraft. The improved infrastructure is expected to lure more charter and budget carriers to the airport, which is to then act as a relief airport for Amsterdam.
Concerning talks with Amsterdam Schiphol operator, Schiphol Group, which opened late last year, Jacobs said Ryanair was still pushing for a reduction in handling charges which, despite Schipol Group's offer of a 7% cut, are still perceived as being too high. Other outstanding issues include securing a turnaround-time limit of 25 minutes and access to Schipol's Pier H - home to rivals easyJet (London Luton) and Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen).
Overall, Ryanair is looking to increase its Dutch market share which currently stands at just 4%, he said. This year, the LCC will base a third B737-800 out of Eindhoven to better cater to the city's growing business market.
