THE boss of budget airline Ryanair has said Southampton Airport “isn’t top of our list” for expansion despite the planned extension of its runway next year.

But the Eastleigh airport says it is “actively engaging” with airlines to add more destinations to its schedules.

Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson was speaking at Bournemouth Airport, where he had flown in to announce the Dorset site would get an extra aircraft and three new summer destinations.

Read more: Bournemouth Airport will be 'good neighbour' as Ryanair expands, says boss

Asked whether plans to extend the runway at Southampton Airport could tempt Ryanair to direct some of its flights there, Mr Wilson said: “When you’ve got an established business and an established partnership and an established passenger base, you don’t move that – we tend not to do that unless the relationship changes in terms of cost.

“We just did an announcement in Bristol, an extra aircraft here in Bournemouth and we’ve announced a number of routes into Newquay. There’s plenty of room for expansion, particularly if you’ve got great-value low fares, so Southampton isn’t top of our list of what we might or might not do.

“We’ve got 234 airports. We’ve enough on our plate for the time being.”

Southampton Airport has its sights set on three million passengers a year by 2029.

It plans to start work on its longer runway in 2023 following a protracted legal and planning battle. The move will allow larger planes which can serve more destinations.

Read more: Three new destinations and an extra plane as Ryanair expands at Bournemouth Airport

Steve Szalay, operations director of Southampton Airport, said: “There is a huge appetite for new routes from the south coast and we are actively engaging with airlines to deliver more destinations for our passengers.

“The runway extension project due to get underway next year will ensure the airport delivers greater connectivity for the people of Southampton and the wider region.”

The airport is expecting staff numbers to rise from the current 700 to around 2,000 when it reaches its goal of three million passengers a year, which it cannot do before 2029 under plans agreed with Eastleigh Borough Council.