Ryanair to close Eindhoven base for winter

Irish airline Ryanair is closing its base in Eindhoven on November 5th. The Eindhoven Airport base is said to be closed for the winter, but whether it will reopen next summer is not clear, NU.nl reports.

The company had to make cuts on its capacity due to higher oil prices and higher costs relating to strikes. ​Ryanair also reduced its profit forecast for the financial year by 12 percent. The airline now expects to make a profit of around 1.1 billion euros this year, instead of the previously expected 1.3 billion euros. 

"We had until last week expected stronger 3rd quarter fares to recover softer 2nd quarter yields but over the past week 3rd quarter fares, and customer confidence, have been affected by worries about possible strikes", Ryanair said in a statement.

This has resulted in fewer bookings than expected, as well higher so-called EU261 costs - the compensation scheme for passengers if their flights are canceled or delayed for a long period. According to the company, Ryanair will also spend around 460 million euros more on fuel compared to last year.

The combination of these factors resulted in Ryanair now scrapping 1 percent of its scheduled flights for the winter.