Ryanair Holdings PLC - DfT Decision : NON-REG

RNS Number:8122L
Ryanair Holdings PLC
15 January 2008

Ryanair Welcomes DfT Decision on De-Designation
but Renews call for Breakup of BAA Monopoly

Ryanair, Europe's number one low fares airline, today (Tuesday, 15th January
2008) welcomed the decision of the UK Department for Transport to continue to
regulate the Stansted Airport monopoly in order "to protect passengers who use
the airport". Secretary of State for Transport, Ruth Kelly, on announcing the
decision said that the current situation "is bad for passengers in terms of
delays, congestion and lack of choice and it is also bad for the UK's
productivity and growth". The DfT's justified concerns make it all the more
inexplicable why the CAA proposed the crazy idea of de-regulating the Stansted
monopoly in the first place!

Ryanair renews its call on the Government to break up the BAA monopoly, which
currently controls over 90% of airport capacity in London. The CAA has been an
abysmal failure to date as a regulator of this abusive monopoly, and has allowed
Stansted to double airport charges while providing abject service levels to
passengers.

Welcoming the announcement of DfT's decision, Ryanair's Jim Callaghan, said:

"Ryanair welcomes the Secretary of State's recognition that passengers
must be protected from the abusive BAA monopoly in Stansted Airport.
However, the real scandal has been the failure of the CAA "poodles" to
properly regulate this abusive monopoly, which is why the airlines have
lost faith in the CAA's ability to protect the interests of users. The
fact that it was the CAA who proposed this crazy de-designation idea in
the first place shows how completely out of touch they are.

"Under the CAA's watch, the BAA Stansted monopoly has:

• Doubled airport charges in April 2007 and have announced further
increases for 2008;

• Pushed ahead plans to spend £4 billion on a second terminal, despite
the unanimous opposition of users;

• Failed to provide adequate service levels for passengers, which has
led to ever longer queues at Stansted security and immigration;

• Failed to properly consult with users and ignored their needs in
terms of efficient facilities and even basic service levels.

"The only solution to the BAA monopoly is to break it up and allow each
airport to develop additional capacity, which will enable them to
compete with one another. Ryanair therefore renews its call on the
Government to break up the BAA and to impose a robust regulatory regime
(as opposed to the CAA "regulatory poodles") on the Stansted monopoly
until such time as competition can replace regulation".

Ends. Tuesday, 15th January 2008

For reference:

Peter Sherrard Pauline McAlester

Ryanair Murray Consultants

Tel: +353-1-8121228 Tel: +353-1-4980300

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END
NRAFKPKBNBKDCDD