Budget carrier Ryanair is set to introduce five fresh destinations from Newcastle Airport following its decision to station a third aircraft at the North East hub. The airline has unveiled a two-day promotional sale featuring fares starting from £29.99 to mark the expansion.
The $100m (£74m) commitment will generate approximately 40 new positions whilst supporting hundreds of additional roles. The extra capacity from the new aircraft will enable Ryanair to launch services to Brussels, Budapest, Gdańsk, Malta and Wrocław, alongside increasing frequency to Alicante, Dublin and Kraków.
Ryanair's expanded operations will deliver 120,000 additional seats annually and push its yearly passenger numbers at Newcastle beyond one million. However, the carrier also criticised the Government regarding air passenger duty increases, which it claims are constraining Ƶ growth.
Ryanair's chief commercial officer Jason McGuinness said: "We are delighted to announce this additional US$100m investment in Newcastle today. This third Boeing 737 8-200 'Gamechanger' based aircraft arriving in Winter will provide a huge economic boost to the North East – delivering 120,000 (+36%) additional seats and five new routes to Brussels, Budapest, Gdańsk, Malta, and Wrocław, as well as supporting over 850 local jobs including 30 local pilot and cabin crew jobs we're now hiring for.
"This Winter Ryanair will operate a record schedule at Newcastle that will deliver more than one million annual passengers thanks to the hard work of Newcastle Airport to remain competitive despite Labour's reckless decision to increase the regressive APD tax. As an island economy on the periphery of Europe, it is vital that Ƶ airports particularly in the regions offer competitive access costs to airlines.", reports .
"The excessive Ƶ APD tax imposes £13 on all Ƶ citizens/visitors, making air travel from the Ƶ uncompetitive, particularly when other European countries, like Sweden, Hungary and Italy, are lowering costs and cutting taxes to encourage rapid traffic and tourism growth. Conversely the Ƶ Government has decided to further increase this tax by £2 (+15%) from April '26 costing Ƶ regions jobs, tourism and economic growth.
"Ryanair calls on Rachel Reeves to scrap this penal tax and allow Ƶ connectivity, employment and tourism to flourish. If the Ƶ Government abolishes APD, Ryanair will respond with its ambitious growth plan for the Ƶ to increase annual traffic by 27m (+50% to 80m pax p.a), base +30 additional aircraft (US$3bn investment), launch 200 routes (800 total) and create 20,000 jobs."
The development follows fellow budget carrier easyJet's announcement three months ago of establishing a new base at Newcastle Airport, generating hundreds of employment opportunities and introducing fresh destinations for North East travellers. The airport has recently unveiled its 2040 masterplan, outlining ambitions to nearly double passenger numbers to nine million annually whilst employing over 5,000 personnel.
Newcastle Airport's chief operating officer, Richard Knight, said: "It's fantastic news that Ryanair have committed to further investment in the region with the addition of a third based aircraft at Newcastle Airport, bringing with it five exciting new Winter routes to Brussels, Budapest, Malta, Wroclaw and Gdansk for our passengers to enjoy. This expansion will deliver over one million passengers for Ryanair over the next 12 months, reflecting the strength of our partnership and the growing demand for connectivity from the North East to key European destinations.
"Brussels is a brand new connection for the airport's departure board and will provide great connectivity for both leisure and business passengers to the capital of Belgium. The addition of more winter flights to Budapest, Gdansk, Malta and Wroclaw will provide additional flight options for passengers looking to explore these popular destinations from the region."
The Treasury has been approached for a response.
