Ryanair has confirmed that it will axe all of its services to Fuerteventura, following a dispute over the promotion of the destination.The budget airline will close its routes to and from the Canary Island from January 31, 2009, after the tourism board AIE refused to honour a commercial agreement with the carrier that required the advertisement of the island as a holiday location.Passenger numbers on Ryanair’s schedules to Fuerteventura have increased from just 2,000 annually in 2006 to more than 250,000.

Michael Cawley, Ryanair deputy chief executive, believes that this decision will have a “severe impact on tourism” in Fuerteventura.He said: “This is a very black day for Fuerteventura … we are faced with no choice but to end all Ryanair flights to Fuerteventura from January 31.”

These closures will affect services from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, London Stansted Airport, Birmingham International Airport, Dublin Airport and East Midlands Airport.