Ryanair opening Manchester base with 26 routes - and 2,000 new jobs

Ryanair is opening a base at Manchester airport in a bid to compete with budget rivals Easyjet and Jet2.com.

The no-frills carrier is to operate 17 routes from October and 26 by summer 2012 creating 2,000 jobs.

The carrier claims it will be investing £175 million at the airport with the new base operating up to 260 flights a week.


Tickets for the new routes, including Dublin, Madrid, Oslo, Barcelona, Brussels, Ibiza, Rome, Paris and Milan, will go on sale tomorrow.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told the Independent: 'Now Manchester consumers and visitors can beat the recession and escape Easyjet and Jet2's high fares by switching to Ryanair's lowest fares and our no-fuel surcharge guarantee to 26 exciting destinations in Italy, Germany and Spain among others.

'Ryanair's 2 million passengers p.a. will sustain up to 2,000 jobs at Manchester airport and in the surrounding region.'

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