RYANAIR is to axe flights from Stansted Airport blaming uncertainty surrounding Brexit for the move.
Although no routes will close, the airline confirmed the number of flights to and from the London airport will be reduced this winter.
Although unable to confirm as yet which flights would be cut, a spokesperson for Ryanair told The Irish Post that the fallout from last month's Brexit vote had contributed to the decision.
“Until some clarity emerges over the next two years about the UK’s long term political and economic relationships with the EU, we will be unable to predict what effect it will have on our business and regulatory environment, but we have contingency plans in place for all eventualities," the spokesman said.
"In the meantime, we will pivot our growth away from UK airports and focus more on growing at our EU airports over the next two years.
"This winter we will cut capacity and frequency on many London Stansted routes, although no routes will close, where we are already significantly ahead of our multiyear traffic growth targets.”
Ryanair currently serves five destinations in Ireland from London Stansted including Dublin, Knock, Cork, Kerry and Shannon.
The airline also serves Derry in Northern Ireland.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, who was a firm Remain campaigner during the Brexit referendum, has previously expressed his disappointment at the result to leave the EU.
"We expect this result will lead to a considerable period of political and economic uncertainty in both the UK and the EU," he said.
"This uncertainty will be damaging to economic growth and consumer confidence and we will respond as always with our load factor active/yield passive strategy."
London Stansted is Ryanair’s biggest base with 40 of their total fleet of 350 aircraft located at the airport.
