Low cost airline Ryanair wants to share a new base with Easyjet in Lisbon.
The airline has already announced that it will create up to 1,000 new jobs from its decision to open five new bases in Europe this year.
The company said the new posts would be created “all over Europe” including Portugal.
Ryanair will up its fleet from 270 to 305 aircraft, seeking new pilots, cabin crew and ground staff including check-in attendants, engineers and sales and marketing staff.
The new bases to be opened this year are in Billund (Denmark), Palma (Spain), Wroclaw (Poland), Manchester (United Kingdom) and Paphos (Cyprus).
Ryanair stated earlier this month that it would be prepared to share a new Lisbon base with its rival low cost airline Easyjet.
The Irish airline is currently in negotiations with the Portuguese government over a proposal for the solution known as Portela +1.
The Portuguese government, which put plans for a multi-billion Euro new international airport on ice because of high investment costs, is considering a smaller secondary Lisbon airport – the so-called +1 option for low-cost flights.
Ryanair, which is led by Michael O´Leary, has wanted to set up a base in Lisbon for over a year.
The airline also stated it was happy to run its operations from Lisbon’s Portela Terminal 2 which is currently used by regional Portuguese flights.
But the Portuguese company that runs the country’s airports, ANA, has already indicated it cannot be dedicated to any one particular company.
“In the absence of an agreement with ANA, we’re examining possible solutions around Portela +1,” said Ryanair’s Portugal spokesman, Daniel de Carvalho.
At the moment, Ryanair operates flights to Porto and Faro whereas its rival Easyjet flies to Lisbon and Madeira.
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