Ryanair Expands in Denmark with a New Two-Aircraft Base in Copenhagen, Providing Enhanced Connectivity

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has announced that it will open a two-plane base in Copenhagen beginning in December 2023, creating up to 100 direct employment for pilots, cabin staff, and engineers as part of a $200 million new aircraft investment. Ryanair is already Copenhagen’s third largest airline, with 20 flights and 2.3 million passengers carried to and from the city each year. This new two-plane base will enable Ryanair to offer its incomparable low tickets to Danish citizens/visitors who prefer early morning departures and late evening arrivals in Copenhagen but cannot afford the extremely high air fares charged by state-subsidized high-fare airlines SAS and Norwegian. In addition to Billund, Copenhagen becomes Ryanair’s second Danish base. Ryanair’s winter ’23 schedule to/from Copenhagen includes 24 routes, including four new destinations to Dusseldorf, Faro, Paris, and Warsaw, as well as enhanced frequencies to Gdansk and Krakow.

Ryanair’s Winter ’23 schedule in Copenhagen delivers;

2 based aircraft (a $200 million CPH investment)

24 routes, including four new ones – Dusseldorf, Faro, Paris, and Warsaw.

Frequency increases to Gdansk and Krakow

In Copenhagen, there are up to 100 direct positions for pilots, cabin crew, and engineers.

Annual traffic is expected to increase to over 3 million passengers per year.

Ryanair is the only major European airline with significant post-Covid traffic growth. Ryanair intends to carry 184 million passengers in 2023/24, a 24% increase over its pre-Covid volume of 149 million. Ryanair operates a two-plane base in Billund and serves three other Danish airports: Aalborg, Aarhus, and Copenhagen. Ryanair will be able to offer low-cost competition and choice for early morning departures and late evening arrivals at Copenhagen’s new two-aircraft base beginning in December. Ryanair will establish the 100 new positions as part of its CLA with the Danske Metal Union in Denmark, which currently covers Ryanair pay and conditions at its Billund base. Ryanair’s new Copenhagen hub is totally compliant with Danish employment legislation, and all of these high-paying jobs will pay taxes in Denmark.

Ryanair plans to launch flights from Copenhagen’s low-cost “CPH GO” port. Ryanair urges Copenhagen to reduce its exorbitant airport fees, which are impeding the city’s post-Covid recovery. Copenhagen’s capacity in S23 is only about 85% of pre-Covid levels, and recovery is being slowed by the city’s expensive airport costs. Ryanair urges the Danish regulator to follow the pattern of several other EU airports, which have reduced airport fees in order to recoup traffic growth after Covid.

To commemorate Ryanair’s new two-plane base in Copenhagen, as well as its expanding base in Billund, the airline has launched a Danish seat sale with 50,000 seats available from 229DKK one way, which must be booked by Thursday, August 24th, for travel between November 1st and December 10th, 2023. These discounted fares are exclusively available at Billund and Copenhagen on www.Ryanair.com.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary stated in Copenhagen:

“As Europe’s leading airline, Ryanair is pleased to announce the opening of a two-aircraft base in Copenhagen beginning in December, complementing our two-aircraft base in Billund.” This marks an additional $200 million investment by Ryanair in the recovery of air traffic and tourism in Copenhagen, which has lagged behind pre-Covid volumes. Ryanair says this is due to the exorbitant airport fees and rates paid by NAS and SAS, which are impeding the revival of Danish traffic and tourism.

Ryanair’s new Copenhagen hub will complement our existing 20 trips to/from Copenhagen using aircraft located outside of Denmark. The national CLA will be used to fill all 100 pilot, cabin crew, and engineering positions. Ryanair has reached an agreement with Danske Metal, Denmark’s largest national union, and looks forward to continuing expansion and investment in Denmark as soon as the Danish Regulator decides to cut airport taxes at Copenhagen Airport. At a time when Copenhagen Airport lags behind the rest of Europe due to high fees and a failure to recover pre-Covid traffic, Ryanair urges the Danish Regulator to reduce CPH airport fees so that all airlines can pass on lower fees in the form of lower air fares and allow Copenhagen to recover pre-Covid traffic and tourism.

Danish citizens and travelers looking for the cheapest flights to Copenhagen have long utilized Ryanair.com. With today’s announcement, these inexpensive rates will now be extended to early morning departures and late evening arrivals, providing much needed choice and low fare competition to Denmark’s state-subsidized, high-cost carriers SAS and NAS.”