Ryanair is backing Dublin Airport’s E250m new runway plan, but does not want it to increase passenger charges to pay for the project. Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) is considering going ahead with the plan after more than 25m people travelled through the airport last year. Such a move could see it increase the passenger charges it levies on airlines by 59 cents a head from their current E9.87 maximum. Ryanair’s CMO, Kenny Jacobs, confirmed the airline, which had argued Dublin did not need a new runway, supported the plan: “We are always talking to the DAA and we have seen the plans and they make more sense than what we have seen in the past. We are supportive of the new runway but not if it is supported by higher airport charges.” DAA will decide on whether to go ahead with the plan later this year. <br/>
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RwandAir plans to add a European destination this year and carry a record 1m passengers by 2017 as it boosts the size of its fleet. The carrier is considering flying to either London, Paris or Frankfurt by the end of the year, depending on which country it can obtain permission from first, CE John Mirenge said. It handled 600,000 passengers in 2015, up from 500,000 a year earlier, he said. The airline is expanding its fleet as it adds routes, eyeing cities in Ivory Coast, Sudan, Mali, Benin, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Guangzhou and Mumbai. It will take delivery of an Airbus aircraft in September and another in December, and plans to lease 2 Boeing planes this year. RwandAir plans to “serve markets that we never thought would be covered” while forming partnerships, including with Ethiopian Airlines, to reach more customers, Mirenge said. <br/>
Wizz Air reported net profits of E15.6m (US$17m) for Q3 2015, a drop of 20.9% on the same quarter a year previously. Revenue increased 17.3% to E310m. Particularly noticeable in the latter figure was the rise in ancillary revenues compared to the year-ago period, up 25.8% to E123m; ticket revenues rose 12.4% to E187m. Unit costs, meanwhile, fell by 7.4% to 3.4 euro cents per ASK for the comparative period. Guidance for underlying net profit for the full 2015-16 financial year has risen slightly from the previous range of E190-E200m to E200-E210m. Underlying net profit is defined as reported net profit less the impact of foreign exchange transactions and exceptional items. Passenger numbers for the quarter jumped 23.2% to 4.7m compared to a year previously, while load factor edged up to 85.7% compared to 84.6%. <br/>