Trinity College Dublin in partnership with Ryanair, EU’s greenest airline, today (29 April) announced the launch of the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre. This landmark initiative – the first of its kind in Ireland – has been made possible by a €1.5m donation which Trinity will use to seed a multi-disciplinary research team to engage in best-in-class research around Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Zero Carbon Aircraft Propulsion Systems and Noise Mapping. This new knowledge will inform the policies of both EU and international governments on making aviation environmentally and economically sustainable, as well as harness future investments by the aviation industry towards sustainability. The project, which will employ six people, is due to commence in Summer 2021.
Ryanair believes that aviation must play a leading role in addressing climate change, and is placing an increased emphasis on mitigating how its business impacts the environment. By 2030, Ryanair’s goal is to power 12.5% of its flights with sustainable aviation fuels. This together with investment in new Boeing “Gamechanger” aircraft, will significantly reduce its CO2 and noise footprint over the next decade.
Sustainability and Low Carbon Technologies are a key thrust of new knowledge generation at Trinity. This partnership will become part of E3 – the Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies initiative at Trinity College Dublin, which is tackling complex, global problems, such as those faced by the aviation industry. This Gold Standard research will seek to develop sustainable solutions for an industry striving towards a profitable, carbon neutral future, with greener offerings for their customers and a liveable planet for all.
The Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre will accelerate three key core areas of research:
- Sustainable Aviation Fuels
- Zero Carbon Aircraft Propulsion Systems
- Noise Mapping for Low-Noise Aircraft Fleets
Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability, Thomas Fowler, said:
“This €1.5m donation by Ryanair to help open Ireland’s first Sustainable Aviation Research Centre is a hugely exciting project and an important pillar of our environmental targets, supporting our goal to power 12.5% of flights with sustainable aviation fuels by 2030. As Europe’s largest airline, we have a responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment, to make flying greener and lead our industry towards a more sustainable way of flying while keeping our fares low and affordable for all EU families.
This partnership with Trinity College Dublin seeks to inform and improve future investment by the aviation industry to secure a carbon neutral future for aviation and noise reduction through investment in new technologies. We look forward to working with Associate Professor Stephen Dooley, Professor Stephen Spence and their teams, as they engage in much-sought after research around Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Zero Carbon Aircraft Propulsion Systems and Noise Mapping for low noise aircraft fleets in the hope that the industry will have the knowledge to invest confidently in sustainable fuels and technology going forward”.
Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity College Dublin, said:
“The critical need for humanity to meet the great challenge of our time – climate change – demands new thinking on every front. Science and technological research have a vital role to play in finding balanced solutions for a better world and E3 is Trinity’s farsighted response to this demand. Using emerging technologies, our multi-disciplinary teams of scientists and engineers in Trinity’s new Sustainable Aviation Research Centre will tackle important questions such as how to reduce aircraft emissions with sustainable aviation fuels, electric propulsion, and reduced noise and we are delighted to welcome Ryanair, which has committed itself to being Europe’s cleanest and greenest airline, on board as we explore these exciting new horizons.”
Caption: L to R: Neil Sorahan, CFO Ryanair Group; Thomas Fowler, Director of Sustainability, Ryanair DAC; Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity College Dublin
Ryanair, Europe’s no. 1 airline, today (27 April) announced the early release of its Summer 2022 schedule, which includes over 10,000 flights per week across 500 routes to its most popular destinations, with further routes to be announced in the coming months. All routes can be booked as far out as October 2022.
Ryanair looks forward to offering consumers an extensive Summer 2022 programme comprising of beach holidays, city breaks, adventurous landscapes and all of the cultural experiences customers have been eagerly awaiting. Popular summer destinations such as Barcelona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Lisbon, Malta, the Greek islands and Naples are all on the list for Summer 2022. In addition, excited city breakers can plan their trip to the likes of Berlin, Krakow, Venice, Rome and Seville plus many more.
To celebrate the release of its Summer 2022 schedule, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares available from just €29.99 for travel until the end of October 2022, but these sale prices must be booked by midnight Thursday, 29th April, only on the Ryanair.com website.
Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness, said:
“We are delighted to launch our Summer 2022 programme, which so far comprises of 500 routes to Europe’s favourite city and sunshine destinations. With over 10,000 flights every week and further destinations to be released in the coming months, customers can now make travel plans for Summer 2022 with greater ease. We have launched routes to firm favourites such as Malaga, Malta, Palermo, Venice, Faro, Tenerife and the Greek Islands, with many more to be added soon.
To celebrate, we have launched a seat sale with fares available from just €29.99 for travel until the end of October 2022, but these sale prices must be booked by midnight Thursday, 29th April, only on the Ryanair.com website. Since these amazing low fares will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto www.ryanair.com to avoid missing out.”
Ryanair today (14 Apr) noted the EU General Court’s rulings on Finnish, Danish and Swedish State aid favouring Finnair and SAS over all other EU airlines. The Finnish government granted a €600m loan guarantee to Finnair which has benefited from more than €1.2bn in State aid since the beginning of the pandemic. The Danish and Swedish governments each granted a loan guarantee of €137m to SAS which has also benefited from recapitalisation State aid from these countries, bringing the total aid received by SAS to over €1.3bn.
While the Covid-19 crisis has caused damage to all airlines that contribute to the economies and the connectivity of Finland, Denmark and Sweden, the governments of these countries decided to support only their flag carriers. Ryanair referred the European Commission’s approvals of these illegal subsidies to the EU General Court in June 2020. Ryanair will appeal today’s General Court judgments to the Court of Justice of the EU.
Ryanair’s spokesperson said:
“One of the EU’s greatest achievements is the creation of a true single market for air transport. The European Commission’s approvals of the Finnish, Danish and Swedish State aid went against the fundamental principles of EU law. Today’s judgments set the process of liberalisation in air transport back by 30 years by allowing Finland, Denmark and Sweden to give their national flag carriers a leg up over more efficient competitors, based purely on nationality.
We will now ask the EU Court of Justice to overturn these unfair subsidies in the interests of competition and consumers. If Europe is to emerge from this crisis with a functioning single market, airlines must be allowed to compete on a level playing field. Undistorted competition can weed out inefficiency and benefit consumers through low fares and choice. Subsidies, on the other hand, encourage inefficiency and will harm consumers for decades to come.”
*NOTE TO EDITORS:
The EU Commission’s spineless approach to State aid since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis has allowed Member States to write open-ended cheques to their inefficient zombie flag carriers in the name of faded national prestige. The EU Commission has hastily approved over €30bn of discriminatory State aid since the crisis began. Discriminatory State subsidies given by EU Member States or planned to be given are set out here:
| Lufthansa Group €11bn
Air France-KLM €10.6bn
Alitalia €3.5bn
SAS €1.3bn
TAP €1.2bn
Finnair €1.2bn
Norwegian €0.8bn
LOT €0.65bn
Condor €0.6bn
Air Europa €0.5bn |
77% Load Factor As Covid-19 Continues To Impact Traffic
Ryanair Holdings plc today (6 Apr) released March traffic statistics as follows:
| |
2020 |
2021 |
Growth |
| Ryanair Group |
5.5m |
0.5m |
-91% |
| |
|
|
|
| Rolling Annual |
148.6m |
27.5m (71% LF) |
-81% |
Ryanair operated approx. 5% of its normal March schedule with a 77% load factor.
“Book Now And If Your Plans Change So Can Your Booking”
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (16 Mar) announced it is extending its € zero flight change fee for all customers who book before 30th June 2021. As vaccination programmes accelerate throughout Europe, travel restrictions are set to relax in time for the summer holiday period. Ryanair customers can now book their well-deserved summer break safe in the knowledge that if their plans change, they can move their travel dates twice with € zero change fee until the end of Oct 2021.
Ryanair’s Marketing Director, Dara Brady said:
“The acceleration of the vaccine rollout programmes will see the high-risk/elderly groups vaccinated by the start of summer, which we believe will lead to an easing of travel restrictions and an increase of travel demand to the beaches of Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Many Ryanair customers will be taking their first holiday in over a year this summer, and to continue to provide as much flexibility and assurance as possible, we have extended our € zero flight change fee for all bookings made before 30th June. Customers can now book flights for well-earned summer holidays knowing that if they need to postpone or change their travel dates, they can do so with a € zero change fee until the end of Oct 2021”.
Editor’s note: T&Cs apply https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en/useful-info/no-change-fee
Ryanair, Europe’s no. 1 airline, has today (10 March) launched a new Covid-19 Travel Wallet which is available only in the Ryanair app. Customers can now upload their negative PCR tests, their Covid vaccination certs and other Covid documents that may be required for EU travel this summer. The successful rollout of Covid vaccines will see the return of EU holiday travel in Summer 2021 and the Ryanair Covid Certificate Wallet will make EU air travel as seamless as possible for customers this Summer.
Ryanair is confident that the EU’s vaccine rollout programme will see the removal of current EU travel restrictions in time for the school holidays (June to Sept), and in the interim, customers can avail of Ryanair’s C-19 Wallet, which will house all Covid travel documents in the one location making it easy to present at airports on the day of travel.
Since EU Governments won’t have a vaccine passport in place for this summer, Ryanair is mindful that additional Covid travel documents may be required by certain EU countries and Ryanair’s new C-19 Travel Wallet ensures passengers have all their Covid-19 travel documents saved and secure in one place to present at airports on their next getaway.
Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady says:
“We are very pleased to launch this Ryanair C-19 Travel Wallet as we prepare for the return of family holidays in Summer ‘21. Many Ryanair customers will be taking their first holiday in over a year, adhering to new travel guidelines and this C-19 Travel Wallet allows customers to store all of their Covid documents such as PCR test results, passenger locator forms and vaccine certificates in the one location with zero fuss or paperwork to worry about.
Ryanair’s Summer 2021 schedules are already on sale – subject to changing Government travel restrictions – and we believe that once the high-risk/elderly population of Europe is vaccinated by the end of May or June, travel restrictions will be relaxed and air travel will experience a bounce back from pent-up customer demand that will see European families travelling again for well-earned Summer holidays to the beaches of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece this summer. We look forward to welcoming our customers and their families back on board in Summer 2021.”
Ryanair, Europe’s no. 1 airline, has today (10 March) launched a new Covid-19 Travel Wallet which is available only in the Ryanair app. Customers can now upload their negative PCR tests, their Covid vaccination certs and other Covid documents that may be required for EU travel this summer. The successful rollout of Covid vaccines will see the return of EU holiday travel in Summer 2021 and the Ryanair Covid Certificate Wallet will make EU air travel as seamless as possible for customers this Summer.
Ryanair is confident that the EU’s vaccine rollout programme will see the removal of current EU travel restrictions in time for the school holidays (June to Sept), and in the interim, customers can avail of Ryanair’s C-19 Wallet, which will house all Covid travel documents in the one location making it easy to present at airports on the day of travel.
Since EU Governments won’t have a vaccine passport in place for this summer, Ryanair is mindful that additional Covid travel documents may be required by certain EU countries and Ryanair’s new C-19 Travel Wallet ensures passengers have all their Covid-19 travel documents saved and secure in one place to present at airports on their next getaway
Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady says:
“We are very pleased to launch this Ryanair C-19 Travel Wallet as we prepare for the return of family holidays in Summer ‘21. Many Ryanair customers will be taking their first holiday in over a year, adhering to new travel guidelines and this C-19 Travel Wallet allows customers to store all of their Covid documents such as PCR test results, passenger locator forms and vaccine certificates in the one location with zero fuss or paperwork to worry about.
Ryanair’s Summer 2021 schedules are already on sale – subject to changing Government travel restrictions – and we believe that once the high-risk/elderly population of Europe is vaccinated by the end of May or June, travel restrictions will be relaxed and air travel will experience a bounce back from pent-up customer demand that will see European families travelling again for well-earned Summer holidays to the beaches of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece this summer. We look forward to welcoming our customers and their families back on board in Summer 2021.”