Ryanair intends to create more than 2,000 new jobs – for pilots, cabin crew, engineers and IT developers – in Ireland by 2030.
The airline also plans to open a new €8m engineering excellence centre in Dublin and a €50m training centre for pilots and cabin crew in Santry, north Dublin, as part of a new investment drive in Ireland.
It is also investing €10m in a new three-bay maintenance hangar in Shannon, which will create more than 200 jobs in Clare.
Overall, Ryanair is spending more than €20bn in new technology aircraft to modernise its fleet. It is aiming to grow its passenger numbers to and from Ireland, alone, by 50% by 2030.
Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson said: “Ryanair has been one of Ireland’s most important indigenous success stories since first founded by the Ryan family in 1985. From very modest beginnings in Waterford, Ryanair has grown to become Europe’s largest airline, and the world’s number 5 airline by passenger volumes.“
“However, we are now embarking on a new decade of growth and investment here in Ireland. In partnership with our main airport partners at Dublin, Cork, Shannon, and Belfast, Ryanair plans to grow Irish traffic from 20 million to 30 million [passengers] per annum, over the next decade. These new guests will travel on a fleet of environmentally efficient B737 Gamechanger aircraft, which cuts fuel and CO2 emissions by 16%, and lowers noise by 40%,” he said.
Mr Wilson said: “As a peripheral country on the edge of Europe, it is vital that Ryanair continues to promote low-cost environmentally efficient connectivity for Irish citizens/visitors to Europe and the world, and also that we continue to bring many millions of European visitors to Dublin and the regions of Ireland on a year-round basis.“
Mr Wilson announced Ryanair’s new Irish investment plan on the back of the publication of a new PwC report looking at the contribution the airline makes – directly and indirectly – to the Irish economy.
The report shows that Ryanair and its guests spend over €1.5bn per year in the Irish economy, and the airline supports more than 26,000 Irish jobs annually.
Speaking at the launch of the PwC report, An Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar said:“Ryanair is one of the world’s most innovative airlines and a formidable Irish company. It democratised foreign travel across Europe, making overseas holidays affordable for millions of people. We can be proud of Ryanair as an Irish company and as a driving force for change. They led the way within the EU with online booking and check-in, digital ticketing, and radical new pricing models. As an island, we rely heavily on our connectivity with Europe and the inbound tourism it brings.”
