Ryanair opens two Polish bases

Ryanair is opening two Polish bases later this year, at Warsaw Modlin and Gdansk, the airline has confirmed. The no-frills carrier will also open four new routes this winter from Warsaw to Gdansk, Madrid, Shannon and Wroclaw. Ryanair said with an investment of $90 million at Warsaw Modlin airport it aims to deliver 1.9 million passengers a year and sustain 1,900 "on-site" jobs. Ryanair's chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said the investment in key business routes and new products proves the airline "delivers more than just low fares".

"Customers can now book their flights on our much improved website and enjoy a free small second carry-on bag, quiet flights, allocated seats and use their personal electronic devices at all stages of their flight, with family and business products coming soon," said Jacobs.

Last month Ryanair published its winter schedule with eight new services added and increased flights on 36 routes. It will operate services to Athens, Basel, Bordeaux, Bucharest, Perpignan, Prague, Rabat and Skelleftea in Sweden.

The airline also said it intends to target the business traveller more than it has done in the past. This was shown when announced it plans to sell through a GDS system for the first time in more than a decade. The carrier is partnering with Travelport to solely distribute its content, with fares and ancillary products made available in a “phased approach” for six months.

It then expects to announce deals with further GDS providers such as Amadeus and Sabre.