The introduction of new Ryanair flights to European holiday destinations had been “really going well,” said an airport boss.
The budget airline began flying from Norwich Airport to Alicante, Faro, and Malta in April.
Most of the flights had left the tarmac at near-full capacity, said airport managing director Richard Pace.
For the next summer, he was very hopeful of offering additional flights.
“We’re having six flights a week to Alicante, Faro, and Malta, and we’re carrying between 9,000 and 10,000 customers on those routes, so it’s really going well,” he said.
“The sales have been really good, and Ryanair’s flights go out nearly full.”
Mr. Pace said, While the airline wanted to continue its UK expansion, the airport began working with Ryanair to offer more choices to customers.
For the October half-term holiday, the non-stop airline has announced additional flights will continue to fly to Alicante from Norwich Airport over the winter.
“That just shows you what support we’ve had from the local travelling public,” he added.
Norwich Airport, which is located 2.5 miles close to the city. Annually, the airport can accommodate 1.2 million passengers, but currently, it serves less than that number, according to Mr. Pace.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger numbers were continuing to recover.
“Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go to reach that capacity,” he added.
Last month, Ryanair said it expected to offer lower fares this summer after company profits fell by almost 50%.
