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AIRPORTS


IN CONVERSATION… Lesley Kane


Ryanair’s new head of groups and corporate travel, Lesley Kane, talks to Tom Newcombe about targeting business travellers and re-entering into agreements with GDS companies


website, but now it will be much easier for them.


Dubai


Dubai International runway closures over 80-day period


A MAJOR RUNWAY UPGRADE at Dubai International airport is taking place from May 1 until July 20. The project will see the entire 4,000m northern runway resurfaced and the upgrading of runway lighting and construction of additional taxiways and rapid exits on the southern runway. Each runway will close at alternate times, with the southern runway shut from May 1 to May 31 and the northern runway from May 31 until July 20. During this period, the number of flights at Dubai International will be reduced by 26 per cent. Dubai Airports said: “Flight movements at Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central are set to increase dramatically as eight airlines that currently operate into Dubai International have reserved slots to operate into Dubai’s second airport during the 80-day period. More than 300 flights a week are expected to depart from Dubai’s second airport during this period.” Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said: “These upgrades


are necessary to heighten safety, boost capacity and pave the way for future expansion.”


SERVICED APARTMENTS


B2B SERVICED APARTMENT SUMMIT


BUYING BUSINESS TRAVEL is media partner to the 2014 Serviced Apartment Summit. This business-to-business conference is designed to bring together leaders from across the growing serviced apartment and extended stay sector to learn, network and share best practice and strategies. Events start on July 8, with a reception at Grosvenor House Apartments by Jumeirah Living, followed by a full-day conference on July 9 at London’s Montcalm Marble Arch hotel. Topics include future prospects for the sector, understanding corporate buyer objectives and integrating serviced apartments into mixed-use developments. ■ For more information, visit servicedapartmentsummit.com


8 BBT MAY/JUNE 2014 Lesley Kane


Why did Ryanair return to distributing through a GDS after a ten-year absence? We started listening to our customers more and wanted to make it easier for them to book with us. One of our aims for this new-look Ryanair is to increase the number of business passengers currently travelling with us, and so signing deals with major GDS companies is essential for that to happen.


You signed the agreement with Travelport – are there any more deals in the pipeline? We gave Travelport the chance to be the only GDS we have a deal with for the first six months, but we are also in discussions with others and there is an expectation we would agree a deal with at least Amadeus and/or Sabre by late 2014 or early 2015.


What reaction have you received from the industry, now you have a renewed focus on business travel? It’s all been incredibly positive. I think there’s an misconception that, just because we haven’t worked with the travel trade over the past few years, it doesn’t mean we haven’t been used by business travellers. Agents have still continued to book our flights through the


How do you expect to compete with other airlines that fly to European business destinations that Ryanair doesn’t, or operate flights to more easily accessible airports, such as London Heathrow? We have announced a growth plan at Stansted to increase passenger traffic from 13.2 million to 20 million over the next five years. We have confirmed new business routes, such as Athens, Lisbon and Brussels; and we have also started to increase our frequency on our existing routes to major European business destinations.


What percentage of business travellers do you expect to be flying Ryanair in the next five years? At the moment 22 per cent of our passengers are business travellers but we hope to double that over the next few years, although we don’t currently have an exact figure.


Are you increasing your focus on business travellers because of the success of other so-called low-cost airlines, and do you hope to emulate the recent success of Easyjet? Obviously, Easyjet has been very successful. What it has done recently is fantastic, and it’s certainly not a low-cost airline anymore. But what we want to do now is focus on the business product and the GDS distribution, but also maintain a significant focus on the fact we are a low-cost airline, as it’s still an important part of our business model.


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