On July 5th 1985 the first international scheduled flight from the newly built Waterford Regional airport took place. The carrier was RyanAir, and destination Gatwick Airport, England. This flight had the distinction of been the first scheduled flight from a non-state Airport in Ireland.Ryanair was set up by Christy Ryan from Waterford, Tony Ryan from Tipperary and Liam Lonergan with a share capital of just £1, and a staff of 25.
The company started with a 15-seater Bandeirante aircraft that operated daily from Waterford in the South-East of Ireland to London Gatwick. The aim was to break the duopoly on London-Ireland flights, held by British Airways and Aer Lingus at the time.
There was a requirement for Ryanair's first cabin crew recruits to be less than 5ft. 2ins. tall in order to be able to operate in the tiny cabin of the aircraft.
From its small start the in the South-East, Ryanair, consisting of only one plane, grew to become one of the most successfull airlines in the world and changed the face of aviation in Europe.
There was a requirement for Ryanair's first cabin crew recruits to be less than 5ft. 2ins. tall in order to be able to operate in the tiny cabin of the aircraft.
From its small start the in the South-East, Ryanair, consisting of only one plane, grew to become one of the most successfull airlines in the world and changed the face of aviation in Europe.
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1 comment:
I remember being in Waterford Airport as a kid in the late 80's. From memory I think it was just a portacabin with a few desks where you check in and went through security before you walked out the other end of the portacabin. It's very different out there now of course. Crazy to think how far Ryanair have come. I remember it as a struggling airline and look at it now. I never knew that about the cabin staff having to be so short either! lol.
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