Ryanair, Portugal’s favourite airline, has today (12 Apr) called on the CEO of the State subsidized TAP to explain her astonishing (and clearly false) claims that low fare airlines at Lisbon would ‘harm the Portuguese economy’.

Ryanair said that since Ryanair’s low fares are driving the rapid growth and post Covid recovery of air travel in Porto, in Faro, in Ponta Delgada and now in Funchal Madeira, Christine Ourmières, the TAP CEO should explain these ridiculous and patently false claims.

Ryanair Group CEO, Michael O’Leary, said:

“It appears the TAP CEO doesn’t have a very firm grip on reality or economics. At a time when Ryanair’s low fares are driving post Covid growth and recovery in air travel, tourism and jobs in Porto, in Faro, in Ponta Delgada and more recently in Funchal, the TAP CEO seems to believe that the Portuguese economy would be better off wasting €3bn of State Aid on the loss making, high fare TAP at a cost of over €300 for every man, woman and child in Portugal.

Ryanair believes that a tax refund of €300 to every citizen in Portugal would have been a better use of these tax payer funds rather than wasting even more billons of scarce tax payer money on the high fare, repeatedly loss making, TAP which is led by Ms Ourmieres.

The TAP CEO knows less about economics than she does about running a profitable airline. Ryanair will now offer her a free flight on Ryanair if she can explain how low fares could ‘harm’ the Portuguese economy or Lisbon. At a time when air travel and economies all over Europe are recovering with Ryanair’s low fares, the TAP CEO should now explain why she is soaking up €3bn of State Aid in Portugal, but still offering fewer flights, higher fares and blocking unused slots at Lisbon Portela, just so she can block competition, choice and limit the recovery of  the Portuguese and Lisbon economy.

If the TAP CEO can explain why high fares and billions of State Aid are ‘better’ for Portuguese citizens, then we will give her free Ryanair flights for a year!!!“