Ryanair's strategy

One thing Ryanair enjoys doing is antagonising airlines, airports and everybody else. This gives them exposure which translates in free advertising.

Ryanair has a simple strategy - find a desperate airport and take advantage of it. Malta International Airport (MIA) is not one of these, but Malta has a tourism industry in crisis. This presents the perfect scenario for Ryanair. But it detracts nothing from the fact that MIA is a mainline airport, the sole gateway on an island nation, unlike all other airports in Ryanair's network.

Ryanair's service is very much like the controversial "park and ride" system - they fly you 50, 80, 100 kms or so from the city then make you take the bus! So out of the way, in fact, that Ryanair finds it necessary to indicate the nearest relevant city in relation to the airport, which may or may not even be in the same country at all! Not so Malta. MIA is the complete package. Ryanair would not have to explain what and where Malta is unless it plans to call it Catania South or Tripoli North!

In reality, nobody is stopping Ryanair from starting operations to Malta. All they are waiting for is someone to write them a cheque to cover expenses. Does this not constitute subsidy? MIA is not a Ryanair type of airport and I find it very arrogant on Ryanair's part to attack MIA and even compare it to Heathrow. Quite frankly I am surprised Ryanair can even spell the word!