Ryanair appeals for tourism boost

Oct 20 2009

Budget airline Ryanair has said it could increase passenger numbers by 1.5 million a year in Scotland if a funding scheme for new routes was restored.

The firm's deputy chief executive Michael Cawley held talks with Finance Secretary John Swinney in Edinburgh and called for Government assistance to help airlines boost growth.

The Route Development Fund (RDF) was scrapped soon after the SNP came to power in 2007, after helping establish more than 30 new routes.