Ryanair playing hardball for new airport?

"The Irish proposed an exchange transaction," said a Puls Biznesu source. "In return for the selection of Jasionka for the construction of their base they want the guarantee that the airport in Modlin, where they could build an operational base for several aircraft, will be opened soon." However, Tomasz Kułakowski who is responsible for Ryanair's sales and marketing in central Europe denied everything. "Since we entered into Poland we have been talking about the necessity to build an airport for budget airlines near Warsaw," said Kułakowski. "But we did not put forward an ultimatum in negotiations nor did we link those two decisions." Nevertheless, experts say that Ryanair's ultimatum would be beneficial for the market. "It would be good blackmail and the president of Ryanair would be acting in our best interest," said Tomasz Dziedzic from the Institute of Tourism, "If neither domestic policymakers nor local authorities are able to influence the construction of an airport in Lublin, maybe a tough negotiator will succeed." (Puls Biznesu, pp. 6-7) E.B.