RYANAIR said yesterday that Aer Lingus had cut back its services between Dublin and London Stansted because it was unable to compete successfully on the route Ryanair had developed. Aer Lingus agreed that it had reduced frequency from five to four flights a day "but not for the reasons alleged by Ryanair".
Mr Tim Jeans, Ryanair's commercial director, said: "Aer Lingus simply cannot match Ryanair's fares or frequency of service and have squandered yet more Irish taxpayers' money in another failed attempt to damage Ryanair." Ryanair has 14 flights a day on the Dublin London Stansted route.
The Aer Lingus spokesman said the airline had decided to serve Stansted because the overall Dublin London passenger market was growing but it could not get extra slots at Heathrow. The Stansted route had gone very well for the airline, rising from a passenger load factor of 40 per cent to 70 per cent.
He said Aer Lingus was reducing the frequency in response to market demand. It was keeping the situation under review.
