RYANAIR PLANS USD 200 MILLION INVESTMENT IN RIMINI

DUBLIN, OCTOBER 16 /SRNA/ - Irish low-cost airline Ryanair announced today that it plans to invest USD 200 million in its new air base in Rimini, Italy, next summer, with the aim of boosting tourism and connectivity.

The company said in a statement that the investment in Rimini would enable Ryanair to offer more than 600,000 low-cost seats across 17 destinations, including new routes to Dublin, Memmingen, Stockholm, Tirana and Warsaw. The airline will operate around 114 flights per week.

Ryanair's decision to make a multi-million-dollar investment in Rimini follows the regional authorities' decision to abolish the municipal tax.

Ryanair noted that if the municipal tax were abolished across Italy, the company would be prepared to make an additional investment of USD 4 billion in the country.

The Dublin-based airline announced seven days ago that it would cut flights in Germany because of "astronomical costs". Berlin Brandenburg Airport is among the "biggest losers" as a result of the move, as it will lose around 50 per cent of Ryanair's flights.

The airline cited high taxes and airport charges among the reasons for withdrawing from Berlin.