Ryanair slashes more capital routes By ANDREW WHITAKER Published on Thursday 12 April 2012 00:00 BUDGET airline Ryanair is to axe up to ten flight routes from Edinburgh with a loss of up to 300,000 passengers this winter as part of the firm's ongoing dispute with airport operator BAA. The Scotsman has learned that the budget carrier will today announce the destination cutbacks that it says will put jobs at risk and reduce Edinburgh's Ryanair passenger numbers from 1.8 million to 1.5 million - a cut of more than 30 per cent. Ryanair is also understood to be planning deeper cuts to routes from the capital unless airport bosses renew the airline's low-cost five-year deal for routes out of Edinburgh, which is due to expire in October. The cutbacks come after newly released figures showed passenger numbers at Edinburgh airport fell by almost 3 per cent in March compared with the previous year in the aftermath of an earlier decision by Ryanair to cut routes. The latest reduction in routes comes as the British Airports Authority (BAA) is seeking a buyer for the facility. The cuts, which will see Ryanair scrap its two remaining routes to the German destinations of Bremen and Frankfurt, were described as "devastating" by Scottish Labour's infrastructure spokesman, Richard Baker. Ryanair ended flight routes to its only other German destination Berlin, as well as scrapping plans for services to Malmo in Sweden, Murcia and Ibiza in Spain, and Tallinn in Estonia during the previous round of cuts announced earlier this year by the airline's chief executive, Michael O'Leary. Ryanair is expected to warn that the latest cuts will lead to 200 job losses in car parking, retail and security at the airport. Scotland's transport minister, Keith Brown, called on Ryanair to reach a deal with Edinburgh airport, as BAA figures showed that passengers numbers at the airport had fallen to 700,000 last month - a 2.8 per cent dip on the same month last year. He said: "We hope the airline and the airport can reach a mutually acceptable agreement to maintain services and connectivity out of the airport when the contract is up for renewal later this year." A spokesman for Edinburgh airport said: "We have this slight reduction in year-on-year passenger numbers in our forecast given Ryanair's reduction in its 2011/12 winter schedule." However, the airport spokesman, who insists no jobs were lost during Ryanair's last service cuts, refused to comment on the latest round route reductions. Mr Baker said: "At a time when we need to grow the Scottish economy, the news we are losing more air links at Edinburgh airport is devastating news." Meanwhile, BBA figures revealed that passenger numbers at Glasgow airport for March 2012 were up 4.6 per cent on the same month last year, while Aberdeen Airport had the biggest boost with a 10.2 per cent rise.