Ryanair reduces Cork Services

Ryanair Holdings PLC
08 March 2006



                              RYANAIR ANNOUNCES -

                       REDUCTION IN ITS SERVICES TO CORK

                       NEW ROUTE FROM KERRY TO LIVERPOOL

Ryanair, Europe's leading low fares airline, today (Wednesday, 8th March 2006)
announced a reduction in its services to Cork Airport following recent cost
increases there. Cork Airport Authority recently announced a range of cost
increases (38 in total) for various services at the airport including a 300%
increase in the rental charge of check-in and ticket desks. These increases will
push up Ryanair's costs at the airport by over €30,000 per annum. The increases,
which are a direct result of the debt, which Cork Airport has inherited as a
result of its new, Taj Mahal-like, terminal now makes Cork Airport massively
uncompetitive against its peer airports throughout Europe and has made other
destinations for Ryanair much more attractive. The Liverpool to Cork route will
reduce from 7 per week to 4 per week.

On the good news front Ryanair also announced that it will be starting a new
three times weekly service from Liverpool to Kerry as a much cheaper alternative
to Cork.

Announcing the reduction in services in Cork today, Ryanair's Deputy Chief
Executive, Michael Cawley, said

        'Cork Airport is in danger of pricing itself out of the market with
        these outrageous price increases. Cork Airport has to realise that it is
        in competition with hundreds of other airports throughout Europe for
        passengers whose only concern is to get low fares. The Cork Airport
        Authority has spent €180M on a terminal for 3 million passengers. Both
        Frankfurt Hahn and Dusseldorf Weeze built the same capacity for €13M and
        €15M respectively. If, by forcing the airport to assume the debt burden
        arising from this expenditure, the Government insists that Cork Airport
        is to charge a premium for its services then it will lose out on the
        hundreds of thousands of passengers which Ryanair and other airlines
        have brought to the region. For the sake of a cost increase of €30,000
        the region is going to lose 20,000 incoming tourists and business
        visitors, the income from which runs to approximately €8 million. This
        is an idiotic way to run an airport and is a direct result of the
        Government's transport policies of overspending and making its regional
        airports uncompetitive by building lavish and expensive facilities which
        passengers and visiting tourists are not prepared to pay for.

        'Consequently, Ryanair is reducing its services on the Liverpool route
        to reflect the reduction in demand which we expect will ensue from this
        cost increase.

        'The good news is that we are able to salvage the tourists with the help
        of Kerry Airport. We are delighted that we will now be moving these
        passengers to Kerry Airport who have offered us an extremely competitive
        cost base, much more reflective of what is available in Continental
        Europe and we are delighted that, while passengers may not be passing
        through Cork Airport, they will still be coming to the region, served
        through a much more efficient and low cost airport'.

Ends.                          Wednesday, 8th March 2006

For further information:

Peter Sherrard - Ryanair       Pauline McAlester - Murray Consultants

Tel: [phone]         Tel: [phone]


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