Ryanair angry at Montenegro

Ryanair flights to Montenegro not a done deal

Ryanair is reconsidering plans to launch flights to Montenegro this June as was previously announced. Europe’s largest no frills airline was to decide this week wheatear to approve an agreement with the Montenegrin government for flights to be inaugurated from London, Brussels and Milan. However, Ryanair is angry at the media coverage its provisional agreement with the authorities created. Namely, it is unhappy with the way the government publicised what is still an incomplete agreement. It is now requesting additional guarantees from the government that all discussed conditions will be met.

The provisional agreement between the two sides states that Ryanair is obliged to operate flights to Montenegro eight months per year, every year, with the exception of 2012, as flights would launch in June and operate until the end of October. During this year the airline is required to launch three destinations. This would grow to four in 2013 and six by 2014. The six routes are to be maintained in 2015.

It is unclear as to the amount of subsidies the low cost airline will receive in the country and whether flights will be operated to either Tivat or Podgorica. Last year, the government insisted for Ryanair to operate flights exclusively to the country’s capital all year round, highly unattractive for an airline catering mostly for tourists wishing to spend a holiday on the coast. Furthermore, the deal is unlikely do go down well with Montenegro Airlines, which saw sliding passenger numbers and mounting debt last year. Currently, within the EX-YU region, Ryanair only operates flights to Croatia with services to Zadar, Rijeka and Pula.