Charleroi Announcement

Ryanair Holdings PLC
13 April 2004


                          RYANAIR'S LOW FARE SERVICES
                         AT BRUSSELS CHARLEROI AIRPORT
                                  TO CONTINUE

Ryanair, Europe's No. 1 low fares airline, today (Tuesday, 13th April 2004)
confirmed that it had concluded an agreement with Brussels Charleroi Airport and
the Walloon Authorities which will allow Ryanair's low fares base at Brussels
Charleroi Airport to continue with no change to the cost base, which means that
all of the eleven existing low fare routes served from Brussels Charleroi will
continue.

The agreement concluded between Ryanair, Brussels Charleroi Airport and the
Walloon Authorities contained the following principal elements:

   •The existing airport and handling charges will continue for the
    foreseeable future until the airport reaches 2 million passengers per annum
    at which time 3rd party competitive handling will be introduced.

   •Legislation will be enacted by the Walloon Authorities in order to make
    the Ryanair discounted arrangements available to other airlines operating at
    Brussels Charleroi Airport.

   •Ryanair have agreed to actively explore possibilities for basing more
    aircraft at, and opening new routes from, Brussels Charleroi Airport,
    subject to a new terminal being constructed, and the airport providing a
    competitive cost offer for these new routes which would be similar to the
    other lower costoffers presently available from a number of other privately
    and publicly owned airports.

Welcoming the announcement of this agreement Ryanair's Chief Executive, Michael
O'Leary, said:

       'We welcome this agreement which is good news for consumers and removes
       uncertainty and allows our low fare services to continue at Brussels
       Charleroi. This agreement was timely as we have negotiated a number of
       other airport base arrangements in recent months at costs which are
       lowerthan that at Brussels Charleroi, and there was a real likelihood
       that in the absence of an early agreement with Brussels Charleroi we
       would have closed the base and moved the aircraft and the low fare
       routes elsewhere.

       'These lower cost alternatives again highlight the flaw in the recent
        European Commission decision on the cost base at Brussels Charleroi. The
        entire basis of the Commission's flawed decision was that no private
        airport would enter such an arrangement. We have repeatedly confirmed
        that we had other lower costarrangements at the time, and that other
        airports continue to offer us lower costalternatives today because they
        want to share in the enormous traffic, growth and commercial profits
        that Ryanair's low fare services deliver. The Brussels Charleroi cost
        base passes the private investor principle, and when Ryanair appeals the
        decision to the European Court of First Instance (in early May), this
        principle will form the core of our appeal.

       'However, the good news today for Belgian consumers/visitors is that
       thanks to this agreement between Ryanair, Brussels Charleroi Airport and
       the Walloon Authorities, our low fare routes will continue from Brussels
       Charleroi and we look forward to carrying millions of passengers each
       year and saving them over €1.5 billion euros annually over the high fare
       alternatives being offered by the rip-off airlines at Brussels Zaventem
       Airport. The present merger negotiations between the two high fares
       airlines, SN Brussels and Virgin Express, show just how badly the
       Belgian market needs Ryanair in Brussels Charleroi since we provide
       competition, choice and low fare air travel for ordinary consumers'.


ENDS.                            Tuesday, 13th April 2004

For reference:

Pauline McAlester                Paul Fitzsimmons
Murray Consultants               Ryanair
Tel: [phone]              Tel: [phone]



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