Ryanair abandons Marseille and cuts Frankfurt

Marseille Airport is to lose Ryanair after the Irish airline stood its ground and refused to bow to pressure regarding its work practices.  In what was seen as a final move on some sort of reconciliation CEO Michael O’Leary went to the French port city to make the announcement.  The base with its four aircraft will close on 11 January.

The airline says that the operation and its flight crews fully comply with the European Directive on transport workers which allows all mobile staff to pay income tax and social insurance in the country they work (which in this case is Ireland because they work on Irish registered aircraft which is defined as Irish territory) or where their employer is resident and where they are physically paid, which also in Ryanair’s case is Ireland.  The French authorities take a different view and claim that these mobile (Irish) workers should pay income tax and social insurance in France, rather than in Ireland, even though this is contrary to EU regulations.

Ryanair will continue to operate ten routes to/from Marseille Airport, on aircraft and crews that are based elsewhere.

The airline is also cutting a claimed 30% of flights at Hahn next year citing the new German passenger tax. www.rynair.com

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