Ryanair withdraws winter flights from Lappeenranta to Bergamo, shocking local officials
Ryanair’s decision to withdraw winter flights for sale has taken the city of Lappeenranta and its airport by surprise. The airline has removed routes between Lappeenranta and Bergamo, Italy, starting in November. For customers who have already purchased tickets, Ryanair has cited financial reasons for the cancellation.
Mirka Rahman, the city’s tourism director, expressed her astonishment at the airline’s decision. “I’ve heard that flights have a very high occupancy rate,” Rahman stated. She noted that such unexpected actions have occurred before, including a similar situation related to flights from Belgium. “Now this has happened to us. As far as I know, we have a contract until the end of next March.”
Ding Ma, the city’s economic development director and CEO of the Saimaa Airport Foundation, mentioned earlier that Lappeenranta will start discussions with Ryanair regarding the issue. Janne Paananen, the airport’s operational manager, commented that no formal notice has been received from the airline.
According to current information, November 1st is the last day Ryanair will operate flights from Lappeenranta to Bergamo. Yle has been unable to reach a representative from Ryanair for comment.
The absence of direct flight connections is concerning for Rahman, who highlighted that Lappeenranta currently lacks other direct services. “On the other hand, we always want to develop and improve other connections, including those via Helsinki. The German-speaking regions of Europe and the Benelux countries are our key target groups. We will focus on Italy as long as there are flights available.” The Benelux countries include Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.