Ryanair will stop services from George Best Belfast City Airport at the end of October, with the loss of 50 jobs, the Irish budget airline has announced.
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Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said the airline will close its Belfast City airport base on 31 October.
The move follows the delay of a public inquiry into controversial plans to extend the runway at the airport.
The runway extension would allow planes with heavier fuel loads to use the airport, opening up the possibility of flights to and from extra destinations in Europe.
Ryanair says it regrets that the planned extension will not be delivered until 2012 at the earliest.
"We started to fly into Belfast City in October 2007 and we were promised a runway extension three years later", Mr O'Leary told UTV.
"We are still waiting for the runway extension and now the public inquiry is going to be further delayed. It's clear we won't have a runway extension for three, four, five years after we started and that means we can't fly to Europe. We can't offer full flights safely and we can't offer £9.99 fares to Europe,."
"We've assured Belfast City Airport that if there is a runway extension that allows Ryanair to offer low fare flights to Europe safely then we'll come back to Belfast City."
Jobs
Ryanair said it will switch its Belfast city based aircraft to another European airport, with the loss of 50 Ryanair jobs. The airline says staff will be offered relocation elsewhere in the UK or Europe.
Last year, Ryanair carried 800,000 passengers to and from Belfast City Airport, a third of the airport's business.
The airline said up to 1,000 support jobs in and around Belfast City Airport could be affected by the move, which the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association described as a blow for the local economy.
"Many visitors from the five Ryanair UK routes shopped in Belfast City Centre and other towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland," NIIRTA Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said.
"Struggling retailers will be disappointed that the loss of these routes will mean fewer customers from other parts of the UK."
George Best City Airport says they are confident they can attract other airlines to fill the void.
Katy Best, Business Development Director at George Best Belfast City Airport said:
"We are obviously disappointed at Ryanair's decision. The airline had provided five successful routes from Belfast City Airport.
"However, passenger figures had proved that there was significant demand for the routes operated by Ryanair and I am confident that we can attract other airlines to fill the void.
"Ryanair's announcement will not divert us in pursuing the continued development of the airport. Our goal still remains to attract new airlines and new destinations to and from Belfast City Airport resulting in a much needed economic boost for the region."
Residents
Belfast City Airport Watch, which opposes the runway extension, has given a cautious welcome to the news.
"Residents are going to be delighted that things are going to be a little bit quieter over the skies for them," spokeswoman Dr Liz Fawcett told UTV.
"But - while we welcome the move - the City Airport will now be busy enticing airlines such as easyJet to bring more routes to the airport, so any respite from noise for residents is likely to be short-lived."
Dr Fawcett called on the Stormont Executive to develop a proper strategy for the region's airports.
"We believe our politicians must make it a priority to sit down and produce a proper strategy for the development of airports in Northern Ireland - one which ensures City doesn't just duplicate what International already provides, and one which takes into account the health and well-being of local residents," she said.
Independent unionist MLA for east Belfast Dawn Purvis said the decision was "regrettable" but "not surprising".
"Mr O'Leary probably needs reminded that we live in a democratic country not a fascist state where profit is more important than the health and well-being of its citizens", she said.
"My major concern in all of this is that Mr O'Leary's 'hissy fit' does not cost jobs."
SDLP chair of the Stormont enterprise committee Alban Maginness said job losses are "inevitable" following the "regrettable" move.
"The fact is, we have a planning process here that is so torturous and prolonged that it can, in some circumstances, act as a deterrent to investment in business and jobs in our economy," Mr Maginness said.
But UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said "no runway was ever promised."
"If Mr O'Leary was truly committed to Northern Ireland then he would have looked at the alternatives including looking at Belfast International Airport", he said.
DUP North Down MLA Peter Weir said local businesses and consumers will be affected.
"This decision smacks of petulance, and shows the same contempt for local people as displayed by company statements in the past. It is short-termism and impatience at its worst", Mr Weir said.
"I would support a commercially strong airport at Sydenham, but due process must be followed in terms of the planning enquiry, without which a judicial review would have been inevitable, something which the airport itself accepts, but seems lost on Ryanair."
Sinn Féin representative for east Belfast Niall Ó Donnghaile has also slammed the decision.
"It would seem that because Ryanair haven't gotten their own way, they are punishing workers, the Belfast economy as well as current customers", Mr Ó Donnghaile said.
"While I'm sure many residents will not be mourning the apparent loss of Ryanair, I think this move by Michael O'Leary is an extremely retrograde step and will only punish Ryanair workers as well as the local economy and air travel commuters."
Environment Miister Edwin Poots blamed lawyers for holding up the processes which allow public enquiries to be held.
"I believe the public enquiry process is being destroyed by lawyers," he said.
"Investment is being held back, jobs are being lost and I would urge those people who are paying those lawyers to call them off and allow the public to have their say."
Ryanair operates five UK routes from the airport to Bristol, the East Midlands, Glasgow, Liverpool and London Standsted.
The airport advises passengers who have booked with Ryanair after 31 October to contact the airline.
The Consumer Council has demanded Ryanair refund passengers due to fly on cancelled services "as quickly and simply as possible".
"Passengers should be allocated a full refund within seven days and information about rebooking should be clear and concise such as, rebooking a flight for an earlier date or booking an alternative flight from City of Derry Airport to Liverpool, Glasgow or London," Ryan Simpson, Interim Head of Transport at the Consumer Council said.
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