Ryanair targets Spanish front

RYANAIR today launched a war for the hearts and wallets of sun-seekers as it unveiled plans to go head-to-head with easyJet on a number of routes to Spain.

In an unprecedented cranking up of the battle between the two budget carriers - they have to date avoided each other on the battleground for European air travel - Ryanair announced four new routes from Stansted this winter to the Iberian peninsula with two of them specifically aimed at taking on easyJet.

But easyJet accused Ryanair of a 'con job'.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary, who has pledged to start a 'bloodbath' among rival airlines, signalled he would be compete with easyJet on price.

Pledging to carry 5.5m passengers to Spain next year, he said: 'Our passengers on these routes will save over £86m against the same services offered by easyJet.'

Ryanair is going head-to-head with easyJet to Valencia and Almeria, attacking its Barcelona route by flying to Girona and Reus, and taking on easyJet's Bilbao service by flying to Santander.

'If Michael O'Leary is saying he is tackling Barcelona he is lying to his customers,' said easyJet communications director Toby Nicol. 'Girona and Reus are more than 70 miles away. It is a con job.

'With due respect to our Irish friends, they are novices in the Spanish market and are going to lose an awful lot of money for shareholders on these routes.'

Having already pulled services to Amsterdam, Zurich and Copenhagen, easyJet will announce more route closures on Thursday.