Ryanair to open 26th base in Barcelona

Ryanair will invest £72 million in two aircraft to serve 12 routes from a new base at Reus airport near Barcelona, in Spain, making it the 26th hub for Europe's largest low-cost airline, it said yesterday.

"The one million passengers that Ryanair delivers to and from Reus next year will generate a local visitor spend of at least €150 million," chief executive officer Michael O'Leary said in a statement.

The service - which will fly to Ireland, the UK, Germany, France and other parts of Spain - will create 1,000 jobs, Ryanair said.

Ryanair Holdings plc (Ryanair) is engaged in the provision of a scheduled airline service across a European route network. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, it took delivery of 30 new aircraft, bringing the fleet to 133 aircraft.

During fiscal 2007, Ryanair opened 153 new routes and three new bases at Marseille, Madrid and Bremen. Dublin and Stansted are two of its largest bases. Scheduled revenues comprise the invoiced value of airline and other service. During fiscal 2007, Ryanair acquired a 25.2 per cent interest in Aer Lingus plc., an Irish airline. Ryanair increased its stake in Aer Lingus plc by a further 4.2 per cent, taking its shareholding from 25.2 per cent at March 31, 2007 to over 29.4 per cent at August 21, 2007.