Irish company could shake market

Ryanair currently flies to 38 countries from Lisbon. Within the country, the low-cost airline already operates at the airports of Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Ponta Delgada and Terceira (both in the Azores), and should now use Madeira Airport.

This is not the first time that news has circulated about the Irish company's interest in operating in the region. A few years ago, there were rumours, but the requests the company made cooled the interest of the Region.

Ryanair has been conquering considerable space in European aviation, largely at the expense of the drastic reduction in ticket prices, an “aggressive” market policy and the use of alternative airports.

Ryanair and TAP are currently arm-wrestling over 'slots' at Lisbon Airport, with Brussels at the centre of the discussion.

On November 17, the newspaper Eco wrote that “TAP should give away 12 'slots' at Humberto Delgado Airport, double the six that were included in the original proposal”.

“This is where the negotiations for the restructuring plan [of TAP] with Brussels are at, which may still evolve in the coming weeks. But the Government and TAP management believe that an agreement can be reached by the end of the year”, wrote the same newspaper.

Michael O’leary, CEO of the low-cost airline, has been accusing the Portuguese carrier of “blocking” slots in Lisbon, pressuring the European Commission to act.

The route between Lisbon and Funchal is TAP'S most profitable domestic connection, according to the Regional Government.

Ryanair's entry into domestic connections could open up another divergence with easyjet, which has been flying this route since 2007.