Passengers who were expecting to fly buzz routes in April will have to abandon their plans as its new owner Ryanair plans to scrap the schedule.

Thousands will have to claim refunds and rebook with other airlines or face having their holiday plans scuppered.

The Irish airline, which acquired buzz for £15m, says it needs to take radical action to halt Stansted-based buzz's increasing losses.

Buzz serves 21 destinations in England, France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland.

Thanks to a partnership between buzz and French property firm VEF, many frequent buzz passengers even own holiday homes in areas of France served by the airline, such as Limoges and Limousin.

Some of these routes may now be permanently cancelled, but Ryanair is expected to make an announcement by the end of this month.

A spokesman for Ryanair explained: "Our intention with Buzz has always been to eliminate the annual losses of 30 million Euros and secure the future of the airline.

"However, the situation is getting worse, the airline is presently losing over 1 million Euros a week and radical action is needed as the crisis is being compounded by the prospect of imminent war in Iraq."

Ryanair's cost cutting is expected to extend to the workforce. It is feared a total of 400 jobs could go as a result of the acquisition.

Published Tuesday, February 25, 2003

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