RYANAIR IS SET to open three new routes from Knock next year.

Passengers will be able to fly from Ireland West Airport in Knock with Ryanair to Eindhoven (the Netherlands), Glasgow Prestwick (Scotland) and Kaunas (Lithuania) from April 2014.

Peter Hynes (Mayo County Manager and Chairman of the airport trust), Michael Cawley, Deputy CEO, Ryanair, Joanne Grehan, CEO, Mayo Enterprise Board, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director, Ireland West Airport Knock. Pic: Henry Wills.

There will also be increased frequencies on its London route, and it says the changes will deliver an additional 80,000 passengers per year and support 80 new on-site jobs at Knock.

Ryanair said that this growth is part of the one million extra passengers per annum that the airline will deliver at the main Irish airports in its “direct response to the Irish Government’s decision to scrap the €3 travel tax from April 2014″.

As well as the three new routes, passengers will benefit from increased frequency on the Knock to London routes, from 16 to 18 flights per week.

Ryanair said it is finalising its discussions with the Cork, Dublin and Kerry airports on growth plans for summer 2014.

Ryanair’s Michael Cawley said that the company hopes to announce further new route and traffic growth plans over the coming weeks.

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, said that the flights are “a real boost to the Wild Atlantic Way, the west coast tourism route which will be fully up and running next year”.

The news was also welcomed by Tourism Ireland, which said that it is “wonderful news” for tourism to Mayo and the West of Ireland.

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