Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) will reopen its Copenhagen Kastrup base in December 2023,more than eight years after a union dispute prompted its closure.
The LCC said it would initially base two B737-800s out of the Danish capital and launch four new routes - to Faro, Düsseldorf Weeze, Warsaw Modlin, and Paris Beauvais, while adding more frequencies on its existing routes to Kraków John Paul II International and Gdansk.
"All 100 jobs for pilots, cabin crew, and engineers will be recruited under the national collective labour agreement Ryanair has agreed with Danske Metal, Denmark's largest national union, and Ryanair looks forward to continued growth and investment in Denmark as soon as the Danish regulator makes a decision to lower airport fees at Copenhagen Airport," Ryanair Holdings Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said.
The holding previously closed its Copenhagen base in mid-2015 over a pay dispute with local unions. At that time, the Irish holding had a policy to refuse recognition of any organised labour, which was reversed amidst growing pressure in 2017. Despite the base's closure, Ryanair did not quit Copenhagen altogether and today operates 127 weekly scheduled departures from the airport using aircraft based elsewhere. It has a 6.6% market share by scheduled weekly capacity, trailing only SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian.
Ryanair has an existing two-aircraft base at Billund, operated by Malta Air (MAY, Malta International).
