Airport in Denmark, Billund, confronts predicament of filling the vacant spot left by Ryanair's departure

Unfiltered Dispatch: Billund Airport's Race to Compensate

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Following the last Ryanair flight out of Billund Airport, the city's operations are moving full steam ahead to make up for the lost business. The closure of Ryanair's base and the subsequent loss of 24 services means Billund faces losing up to 1.1 million passengers this year.

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This empty space means the employees at the airport have quite the challenge ahead, according to Jesper Klausholm, Billund Airport's head of programs, marketing, and communication.

"We're pulling out all the stops to fill the void left by Ryanair as much as we can," Klausholm shared with news agency Ritzau. "We expected Ryanair to provide 1.1 million passengers for us this year. Sadly, that's not gonna happen now," he admitted.

Ryanair announced its departure in February, citing Denmark's new air travel tax as the reason for the closure of its two-aircraft base at Billund and the cancellation of all 24 services starting from the end of March. The air travel tax, being phased in over the next five years, results in additional costs of up to 50 kroner on ticket prices for departures from Denmark.

Billund has since secured agreements with airlines for new routes to counterbalance the loss, most notably a new flight to London Gatwick with Norwegian and services to several Spanish destinations. However, it will take time for the airport to fully recover from the loss of passengers and routes, Klausholm acknowledged.

"Losing that many passengers and those many routes is a big hit," he said. "It'll take a while to close the gap completely. But it also brings opportunities for other budget carriers."

In addition to its talks with "exciting" airlines, Billund has already welcomed nine new routes since Ryanair confirmed its departure. These new services cover destinations such as Malaga, Alicante, Gatwick (with Norwegian), and Poland, Lithuania, and Moldova (with Wizz Air). A new service to Barcelona is scheduled with airline Vueling.

"Things are moving in the right direction, but it won't be as swift as we'd like," Klausholm said. "We estimate that the new routes will bring in about 200,000 passengers this year, with next year looking even better."

Ryanair is Europe's largest airline in terms of passenger numbers and the third-largest at Denmark's largest airport, Copenhagen, ranking behind SAS and Norwegian.

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Intriguing Insights:

Some airline connections, such as SAS, aren't new to Billund Airport, but they have expanded their offerings from Copenhagen Airport to maintain regional connectivity, partly to cover the void left by Ryanair's departure.
Air Greenland offers a direct flight from Billund to Nuuk via Keflavik on Tuesdays, connecting Denmark with Greenland and Iceland. This is a new addition to Air Greenland's schedule for 2025.
While the new routes and increased frequencies will help improve Billund Airport's passenger traffic over time, it may take several years to fully offset the impact of Ryanair's departure.

The industry of aviation and transportation is experiencing a significant shortfall due to the closure of Ryanair's base at Billund Airport, causing a gradual decline in the city's lifestyle and commerce.
Billund Airport is actively seeking new partnerships with budget airlines, like Norwegian, Wizz Air, and Vueling, to counteract the loss of services and compensate for the 1.1 million passengers they had anticipated this year.
Following the departure of Ryanair, Billund Airport has secured new routes, including services to London, Spain, Poland, Lithuania, Moldova, and Malaga, aiming to fill the space left by the airline's absence.
Despite the optimistic new developments, the airport's recovery will be a lengthy process, with experts estimating it could take several years to fully offset the impact of Ryanair's departure from the finance and travel sectors.
The news of the new routes and airline partnerships has sparked interest in the field of research and analysis, as analysts closely monitor the industry's response and recovery strategies in response to the financial loss experienced by the closure of Ryanair's base.
Billund Airport's focus on improving passenger traffic includes expanding connections with established airlines, such as SAS, who are expanding their offerings from Copenhagen Airport to maintain regional connectivity in the wake of Ryanair's departure.
Overall, the finance, aviation, transportation, and travel sectors are closely watching Billund Airport's progress, as its ability to recover from the loss of Ryanair's base could serve as a case study for other airports facing similar challenges in the future.