The Fraport replies in tough language to Ryanair, attributing its withdrawal from the airport “Macedonia” to purely business reasons.
Fraport launched a strong attack against Ryanair, issuing an official announcement regarding the carrier’s decision to suspend the operation of its base in Thessaloniki.
Macedonia Airport’s managing company characterised the airline’s claims as “unfounded and pretextual” allegations, arguing that the move was not due to external factors.
In contrast, the Fraport clarifies that the reasons for the departure “are solely related to commercial planning, the company’s business model and profitability“, rejecting any other interpretation that Ryanair tried to put forward to justify its strategic decision.
Fraport’s announcement on Ryanair:
Fraport Greece was informed today of Ryanair’s final decision to suspend part of its winter operations at Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport for the coming year.
Besides the fact that the relevant announcements took place in Athens and not in Thessaloniki, which is mainly affected by these decisions, it is obvious that any allegations regarding the air navigation charges and the Airport Development Fee imposed by the Greek State are completely unfounded and entirely pretextual. We understand that the reasons that led Ryanair to limit its operations during the winter season at Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport are solely related to the commercial planning, business model and profitability of the company.
For our part, we respect the business decisions of Ryanair, which remains one of our important partners, as well as the other 40 airlines currently operating at Thessaloniki Airport, connecting the city of Thessaloniki with the rest of the world. We remain firmly committed to our goal: to ensure that Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport has the modern infrastructure and operational readiness required to efficiently serve the increasing passenger flows resulting from the continuous development of Thessaloniki and the wider region as an international destination.
