PASSENGERS are still waiting to find out what is happening with Ryanair’s flights from Bournemouth after the airline announced it was slashing its winter capacity at UK airports.

The low-cost airline, which has two aircraft based at the recently transformed airport in Christchurch, announced yesterday that it would be cutting its winter capacity at most UK bases except Leeds Bradford and Edinburgh by 16 per cent.

Passengers are already frustrated because the airline has not uploaded its winter schedules from Bournemouth to its online booking system yet.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said they were unsure when the schedules would be uploaded.

Chief executive Michael O’Leary said of yesterday’s cuts: “Sadly UK traffic and tourism continues to collapse while Ryanair continues to grow rapidly in those countries which welcome tourists instead of taxing them.”

The airline cites the UK government’s £11 tourist tax or airport departure tax as the reason it has lost two million passengers since last winter.

It also said it would be cutting the capacity from Stansted Airport by around 17 per cent.

Sally Windsor, spokesperson for Bournemouth Airport, said it was still waiting to hear from Ryanair about the winter schedules.

The airline also said it will be switching its unneeded aircraft from London to European bases “where governments have scrapped tourist taxes and reduced passenger charges”.