László Tamás, Ryanair’s Sales & Marketing Manager for UK & Ireland, said late March that the airine’s withdrawal from Hungary would be bad both for the country’s economy and its air traffic, but that was only the "worst case scenario".

Ryanair has been flying from/to Ferihegy since 2007 (and is present at Sármellék since 2006). It had 180,000 passengers in 2008, against nearly 400,000 carried on flights to/from Hungary. The sharp decline came about as Ryanair cancelled several flights at the end of 2008.

If Budapest Airport decided to cut its fees markedly, Ryanair would add 25 new routes and bring up to two million passengers to Budapest, creating 2,000 new jobs in the economy, Ryanair said today.

As BA refused the carrier’s request, Ryanair will cancel its Budapest flights as of 31 October (meaning flights to/from Bristol, Dublin, East Midlands and Glasgow Prestwick), and it will increase passenger numbers at airports that offer lower rates.

"In order to lower prices for passengers, airports also need to lower their rates, especially such expensive airports as Prague, Warsaw or Budapest," Tamás said.

"Ryanair would have expanded the portfolio of Budapest Airport by 25 new routes that are not yet on its itinerary or would be strategically important for Budapest and Hungary’s tourism," he added."

Source: Portfolio Online Financial Journal