The Government of the Canary Islands has foreseen the loss of some 170,000 airline seats during the next tourist season as a result of the closure of Ryanair's bases on the islands of Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria and has pointed out that the impact on connectivity will be "relatively small".
During the press conference after the Governing Council held this Thursday, the spokesperson for the regional Executive, Julio Pérez, added that the closure of the three bases affects 29 routes and some 73 weekly flights.
Likewise, looking ahead to the next season, he explained that the Ministry of Tourism estimates that Ryanair's departure from the Canary Islands could mean the loss of some 170,000 airline seats.
Pérez understood, however, that the impact on the connectivity of the islands will be "relatively small". "It is not an impact like the one we feared at the time with the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook. It is less," he asserted.
Similarly, the spokesperson recalled that the Government of the Canary Islands has funds obtained from the closure of the British tour operator to improve connectivity and that there are airlines determined to occupy the spaces left by other companies.
Regarding employment, he pointed out that the regional Executive has been in contact with the dismissed workers and their representatives, agreeing that next week they will meet with the union representatives to see what situation they are in and prepare an "insertion itinerary" in the labor market, since most of them are specialized employees.
Finally, Pérez has placed special emphasis on the "enormous discomfort" that the Canary Islands Government feels about the ways and manners in which Ryanair has implemented its decision to close the three island bases.
