Latest news with #EddieWilson
Local Sweden
22-05-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
LIST: The new flights to and from Sweden this summer
Fifteen new flight routes are launching from Sweden this summer, including destinations in France, Spain, Turkey, Iceland and Greece. Here's a full list. Advertisement Last year, Ryanair held a press conference to announce ten new routes to its fleet in Sweden this summer, but they're not the only airline to do so. Norwegian, SAS and Icelandair are all also launching new routes from Swedish airports this summer. Bromma Airport is not included in Ryanair's new plans, despite the fact that the airport is largely empty after BRA struck a deal with SAS last year to relocate to Arlanda. The runways at Bromma are too short for most international flights, according to the TT newswire. However, that doesn't mean Ryanair isn't looking to expand further in Sweden. 'Visby's a possibility, and northern Sweden too, like Luleå, for example,' Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson told TT. 'But we have to start somewhere and these are our investments ahead of the summer season.' Advertisement The following routes will launch in June: Ryanair, from Arlanda Zakynthos, Greece Trieste, Italy Cagliari, Italy Marseille, France Ryanair, from Landvetter Corfu, Greece Thessaloniki, Greece Pula, Croatia Dubrovnik, Croatia Milan, Itali Norwegian, from Arlanda Porto, Portugal Lyon, France Bilbao, Spain Other airlines Ajet from Arlanda to Istanbul SAS from Arlanda to Keflavik Icelandair from Landvetter to Reykjavik Ryanair had previously announced plans to launch a route from Arlanda to Sarajevo – it's not clear if that route has been cancelled or just postponed to later in the season. Much of southern Sweden use Copenhagen Airport for international travel, where SAS has launched a long list of new routes for mainland Europe this season, as well as flights to non-European destinations like Beirut, Seattle, Nuuk and Seoul. Here's a full list of new routes from Copenhagen SAS, Europe Bilbao, Spain Bucharest, Romania Budapest, Hungary Milan, Italy Cagliari, Italy Lyon, France, Krakow, Poland Wroclaw, Poland Malta Madrid, Spain Valencia, Spain Varna, Bulgaria SAS, outside Europe Beirut, Lebanon Seattle, United States Nuuk, Greenland Seoul, South Korea There are a number of new routes on other airlines from Copenhagen, too. Norwegian Bratislava, Slovakia Newcastle, UK Sarajevo, Bosnia Tangier, Morocco Other airlines
Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Telegraph
Ryanair blocked from using Irish planes to rescue stranded Britons
Ryanair has warned that Britons risk being stranded overseas after the UK regulator blocked it from using Irish-registered aircraft to perform rescue flights. The airline said the move by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) meant British passengers were at increased risk of being trapped abroad, even when there were aircraft available to bring them home. It comes amid a row over the CAA's decision to block Ryanair from using an aircraft to rescue passengers stranded in Portugal after a plane was diverted last month. The regulator claims Ryanair is flouting post-Brexit rules by not registering enough aircraft in the UK, but Ryanair claims the CAA is being unreasonable and obstructive. Ryanair is drawing up plans to sue the CAA over an incident last month in which the regulator refused a request to transfer 177 Manchester-bound passengers, who were stranded in Faro, Portugal, to a spare aircraft that was fuelled up and ready to depart. Eddie Wilson, who leads Ryanair's main operating arm, said the CAA's decision meant staff had to find accommodation for the marooned passengers, including 32 children, after 11.30pm, eventually putting them up in three different hotels. They were not able to fly back to Britain until lunchtime the following day. He claimed the CAA had reneged on an agreement allowing the deployment of planes from across its fleet for rescue flights. Mr Wilson said: 'We had an agreement and the CAA did not keep to it. I've never seen anything so black and white. But when they say 'no' there's nothing we can do. 'We had a spare plane and spare crew ready to go, but we were stopped by the CAA. 'This is red tape gone mad. They're supposed to facilitate the safe movement of passengers, not stop them getting home. It's unconscionable.' The original plane had diverted to Faro en route from Agadir in Morocco after a passenger became abusive. That aircraft later developed a technical fault and was unable to continue. Mr Wilson said: 'We have a zero-tolerance policy for drunk and abusive passengers. So the captain made the call to divert, which is hugely inconvenient with a lot of expense, but we know we have the coverage and the aircraft to do that.' He said that Irish-registered aircraft were used on a daily basis for flights from Stansted, Manchester and a host of other UK airports to destinations across the EU. 'A whim left 177 people stranded' The CAA did not directly address its reasoning around the April 23 flight from Agadir, but said Ryanair had insufficient UK-registered planes to provide strong resilience. Following Brexit, flights within Britain and on routes beyond Europe's common aviation area must be performed by UK-registered planes. The regulator said Ryanair's commitments require 18 aircraft, but it deployed only 15, 'leaving UK passengers at a higher risk of disruption'. The CAA said it had shown flexibility during a transitional period, but that Ryanair now needed to add more planes on the UK register. Mr Wilson said the UK fleet was sufficient to meet the demands of its timetable and accused the CAA of concocting an excuse for refusing a 'sensible request'. He said: 'We had to get somebody out of their bed who was clearly annoyed and told us 'computer says no', and on a whim left 177 people stranded. 'We would like them to go down to Faro the next time something like that happens and see what the passengers have to say about it.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Disruptive' Ryanair passengers kicked off plane as flight from Manchester diverted
A Ryanair flight en route to Corfu was forced to divert to Italy after two 'disruptive' passengers needed to be removed from the plane. Flight FR2100 left Manchester Airport on Tuesday, 29 April, at 5.30pm for a three-and-a-half-hour flight to Corfu, Greece, due to arrive at 10.40pm. However, the plane had to change its course last minute and diverted to Bologna after two passengers became disruptive onboard. Police met the Boeing 737 on arrival and removed the disruptive passengers from the plane. The flight then continued its journey onward to Corfu that night. Passengers did not arrive until 1.47am local time, around three hours after they were supposed to land. There were reports that two passengers were involved in a fight on board, the Manchester Evening News reports. They had been seated apart, but later moved seats to sit next to one another. Footage obtained by the publication shows a woman being carried off the plane by police officers and was attempting to resist them. The video, taken from the plane window, shows her being carried to a police car at the gate. A spokesperson for Ryanair told The Independent: 'This flight from Manchester to Corfu (29 April) was forced to divert to Bologna after two passengers became disruptive onboard. 'Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Bologna and removed these two disruptive passengers before this flight continued to Corfu later that same night. The airline added it had a 'strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption.' The incident came less than a week after Ryanair customers travelling from Agadir, Morocco, to Manchester witnessed disruption from a 'drunken and aggressive passenger', which saw their plane divert to Faro, Portugal. However, the 177 passengers found themselves stranded overnight on the Algarve after Ryanair said the UK Civil Aviation Authority would not permit a replacement aircraft to take off. After police removed the disruptive passenger, the aircraft was refuelled to continue the journey to Manchester, however, a technical issue was then found that required the attention of an engineer. Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson told The Independent: 'It's utter bull**** that people were put into hotels last night.' The aircraft is operated by a subsidiary, Ryanair UK, which flies routes that do not serve points in the European Union and was set up after Brexit to allow flights between the UK and countries outside the EU. A Ryanair UK engineer was not available in Faro, so the airline's main operating unit, Ryanair DAC, offered to provide an identical aircraft and crew to fly the passengers home, but the CAA refused permission. A UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said: 'We encourage UK operators to create strong resilience plans for when planes have to be grounded to minimise the impact on passengers. 'These plans need to be consistent with the legal framework that applies to UK aviation following EU Exit, which requires UK-based companies to have sufficient UK registered aircraft to operate their schedule. 'Ryanair has been well aware of this position for a considerable period of time. Ryanair UK has chosen to operate a flight schedule that requires 18 aircraft, but has only allocated 15 aircraft to its UK registered business to fulfil this schedule. 'Ryanair has prioritised the placement of aircraft within their other EU based business over the UK, leaving UK passengers at a higher risk of disruption.'
The Independent
01-05-2025
- The Independent
‘Disruptive' Ryanair passengers kicked off plane as flight from Manchester diverted
A Ryanair flight en route to Corfu was forced to divert to Italy after two 'disruptive' passengers needed to be removed from the plane. Flight FR2100 left Manchester Airport on Tuesday, 29 April, at 5.30pm for a three-and-a-half-hour flight to Corfu, Greece, due to arrive at 10.40pm. However, the plane had to change its course last minute and diverted to Bologna after two passengers became disruptive onboard. Police met the Boeing 737 on arrival and removed the disruptive passengers from the plane. The flight then continued its journey onward to Corfu that night. Passengers did not arrive until 1.47am local time, around three hours after they were supposed to land. There were reports that two passengers were involved in a fight on board, the Manchester Evening News reports. They had been seated apart, but later moved seats to sit next to one another. Footage obtained by the publication shows a woman being carried off the plane by police officers and was attempting to resist them. The video, taken from the plane window, shows her being carried to a police car at the gate. A spokesperson for Ryanair told The Independent: 'This flight from Manchester to Corfu (29 April) was forced to divert to Bologna after two passengers became disruptive onboard. 'Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Bologna and removed these two disruptive passengers before this flight continued to Corfu later that same night. The airline added it had a 'strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption.' The incident came less than a week after Ryanair customers travelling from Agadir, Morocco, to Manchester witnessed disruption from a 'drunken and aggressive passenger', which saw their plane divert to Faro, Portugal. However, the 177 passengers found themselves stranded overnight on the Algarve after Ryanair said the UK Civil Aviation Authority would not permit a replacement aircraft to take off. After police removed the disruptive passenger, the aircraft was refuelled to continue the journey to Manchester, however, a technical issue was then found that required the attention of an engineer. Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson told The Independent: 'It's utter bull**** that people were put into hotels last night.' The aircraft is operated by a subsidiary, Ryanair UK, which flies routes that do not serve points in the European Union and was set up after Brexit to allow flights between the UK and countries outside the EU. A Ryanair UK engineer was not available in Faro, so the airline's main operating unit, Ryanair DAC, offered to provide an identical aircraft and crew to fly the passengers home, but the CAA refused permission. A UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said: 'We encourage UK operators to create strong resilience plans for when planes have to be grounded to minimise the impact on passengers. 'These plans need to be consistent with the legal framework that applies to UK aviation following EU Exit, which requires UK-based companies to have sufficient UK registered aircraft to operate their schedule. 'Ryanair has been well aware of this position for a considerable period of time. Ryanair UK has chosen to operate a flight schedule that requires 18 aircraft, but has only allocated 15 aircraft to its UK registered business to fulfil this schedule.
The Independent
25-04-2025
- The Independent
Ryanair fury after rescue flight to pick up air-rage diversion blocked by CAA
Ryanair customers aboard the Thursday evening flight from Agadir in Morocco to Manchester had to endure disruption from a 'drunken and aggressive' passenger, which resulted in a diversion to Faro in Portugal. A replacement aircraft and crew were sourced to get the 177 passengers home. But Ryanair says the UK Civil Aviation Authority would not permit the plane to take off – leaving them stranded overnight on the Algarve. Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson told The Independent: 'It's utter bull**** that people were put into hotels last night.' Flight RK1265 had departed on schedule from Agadir. But an hour after take-off, as the Boeing 737 was off the southwest coast of Portugal, the captain declared a diversion to Faro so that a disruptive passenger could be offloaded. After police removed the passenger, the aircraft was refuelled to continue the journey to Manchester. But a technical issue came to light that required the attention of an engineer. The aircraft is operated by a subsidiary, Ryanair UK, which flies routes that do not serve points in the European Union. It was set up after Brexit to allow flights between the UK and countries outside the EU, such as Morocco and Albania, to continue. A Ryanair UK engineer was not available in Faro. So the airline's main operating unit, Ryanair DAC, offered to provide an identical aircraft and crew to fly the 177 passengers home without further delay. But the CAA refused to give permission, according to Ryanair's Eddie Wilson: 'Here's the important thing: they could have said 'yes'. They actually said 'yes' earlier that day from a flight from Girona.' In that incident, a Ryanair UK flight from the Spanish city to London Stansted was replaced at short notice by a Ryanair DAC aircraft flown up from Barcelona to get the passengers home. 'It seems the CAA are more aligned with the disruptive passenger, rather than being aligned with consumers,' Mr Wilson said. 'All 177 people on board – including 32 children and infants – had to stay in a hotel overnight. They're taking off in an hour to get back to Manchester. 'This is bureaucracy and red tape gone mad. The UK government say that they want their agencies to get rid of this red tape. It seems that we disturbed the CAA person who was in bed at the time because they have no out-of-hours facility for this. 'It's not a question of cost here because that disruptive passenger, we're going to sue him too, to pay for all that additional cost. But it's completely unnecessary. 'It's not very pleasant to be on an aircraft with a drunken passenger who was hugely disruptive on that flight and quite threatening as well. So you do the right thing: you divert to Faro, you do the right thing by having a spare aircraft available to bring people home on time. 'This is done routinely when there is an unplanned event. It's a rescue flight. That's what it's about. It's not like you're trying to do something outside of regulation. It's a common sense approach. We do the right thing. 'It goes on an identical Ryanair aircraft – same tail, same uniforms, same procedures, same everything – except computer says 'no' back at CAA headquarters. 'Maybe the next time they can actually talk to the passengers directly and give the reasons at that point in time, rather than the next day scurrying around looking for a list of excuses.' A UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said: 'The UK CAA plays a key role protecting passengers as well as enabling growth in the UK aviation sector. We encourage UK operators to create strong resilience plans for when planes have to be grounded to minimise the impact on passengers. These plans need to be consistent with the legal framework that applies to UK aviation following EU Exit, which requires UK based companies to have sufficient UK registered aircraft to operate their schedule. 'Ryanair has been well aware of this position for a considerable period of time. Ryanair UK has chosen to operate a flight schedule that requires 18 aircraft, but has only allocated 15 aircraft to its UK registered business to fulfil this schedule. 'Ryanair has prioritised the placement of aircraft within their other EU based business over the UK, leaving UK passengers at a higher risk of disruption.' Brexit made life for airlines more complicated. In 2020, the Civil Aviation Authority said: 'It has been our long-standing position that a UK airline with a significant presence in the UK, such as Ryanair UK does, should not rely heavily on using wet-leased, foreign-registered aircraft to undertake their operations. 'Doing so undermines the competitiveness of the UK aviation industry and the effectiveness of the regulatory regime.'
