EDINBURGH, Feb 28 (Reuters): The budget airline Ryanair has claimed hundreds of jobs are under threat as it blamed the Scottish Government for its decision to close its base at Glasgow Airport.
The number of routes operated from the airport will be cut from 23 to three, with five being transferred to Edinburgh.
The airline opened a new base at Glasgow Airport in 2014, but will only fly to Dublin, Krakow and Wroclaw from Glasgow in its winter 2018 schedule. It plans to operate 45 routes from Edinburgh, including 11 new flights.
Ryanair said it had run out of patience waiting for the Scottish Government to reduce Air Passenger Duty (APD) tax after ministers promised it would be halved.
Glasgow Airport said it was "bitterly disappointed" and there was "no doubt" the failure to replace APD with a cheaper air departure tax (ADT) in Scotland was behind the move
David O'Brien, Ryanair's chief commercial officer, said 300 indirect jobs could be lost at Glasgow with a potential fall in around 500,000 passengers.
He added: "Sadly the weaker Scottish market is even weaker still in Glasgow which simply can't bare the burden of APD at £13.
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