Lauda is closing its base at Düsseldorf Airport. The Austrian airline is pulling out of the German city due to struggles with fees at the hub. The operator’s parent company, Ryanair, said this week that the carrier will discontinue its offer from the airport at the end of the summer flight schedule.
Disagreements in Düsseldorf
Aviation24.be reports that Ryanair blames the closure on officials at Düsseldorf Airport. It said that the hub refused to lower its fees. Additionally, the site’s handler, Acciona, would have asked for an increase in 30% when it comes to fees.
Altogether, approximately 150 workers will be impacted by this move. However, they have been given the opportunity to apply to work for another airline or at another location across Ryanair Group. Nonetheless, several employees would still struggle with these changes of circumstances.
From the beginning of this summer, Lauda had only been flying in Germany as a “Production Company” for Ryanair under its flight number. Additionally, it had seven Airbus A320 jets based at the third busiest airport in the country. The low-cost Austrian outfit only holds A320s within its fleet. Altogether, it has 25 units of the type.
A series of closures
In May, it was announced that Lauda would be closing its main base in Vienna. This move would put over 300 jobs at risk. The transition was a result of the carrier not being able to agree on new labor agreements with the workers union.
However, this summer, it was revealed that Ryanair’s expansion of routes from Vienna would be flown on Lauda planes. The carrier was given the opportunity to operate these services at the airport on a wet lease basis.
Ryanair is having to make a series of important calls this year amid the challenging climate. It has even threatened to pull out of its home country of Ireland for the next winter season. The firm is not a fan of the nation’s strict quarantine measures that are stopping it from progressing following the downturn of passenger activity.
Moreover, the firm’s leadership likened Ireland’s travel policies to that of North Korea. Regardless, these statements show how significant the impact that the health crisis making in the aviation industry.
Across the industry
Above all, the base closure at Düsseldorf is just one of many sites shutting down for airlines this year. The global health crisis is continuing to create a harsh environment for carriers to make a profit in. Therefore, companies are having to make tough calls this year.
Simple Flying reached out to Ryanair for comment on the decision to close Lauda’s Düsseldorf base but did not hear back before publication. We will update the article with any further announcements.
What are your thoughts about Lauda closing its Düsseldorf base? Do you feel that this is a necessary move for the airline? Let us know what you think of the situation in the comment section.
