Ryanair will be flying three times a week from Pardubice to London, but won’t be receiving the planned subsidy from the city and local government.

The regional airports of Brno, Ostrava and Karlovy Vary are dependent on the subsidies provided to the airlines by the local government. The councilmen of Pardubice and Pardubický kraj have decided that the company EBA that is running the airport will simply have to do without the financial aid, even though Ryanair counted on the subsidy.

EBA won’t bill Ryanair as heavily (Ryanair will save up to 8.3 million CZK on fees) in return for marketing support. Martin Chorvát (ANO), the mayor of Pardubice, believes that the airport will still make profits. “The airport has to live through Ryanair, standard charters and Russia, a newly emerging destination. The airport has functioned well so far, so why should this trend stop?” adds Chorvát.

The local airport lost up to 150,000 passengers thanks to the fall in the rouble and a decreased flow of Russian tourists.