Budget airline Ryanair has said it will add 11 new routes to its summer Marseille schedule. Increased Operations and Aircraft The extended summer timetable will see two extra aircraft working at the airport in Marseille between April and September. Closure of Marseille Base and Legal Action The airline closed its Marseille base in January but continues to operate routes to and from the city from other bases. It has taken a case in the European Courts against the French decree that forces Ryanair’s Irish crew to pay tax and social insurance in France. Promotional Offer and Passenger Numbers Ryanair released one million €8 seats for travel in late February and March.…

A receiver has been appointed to South Dublin Motors Ltd and the company has ceased trading, resulting in the loss of 41 jobs. The company was one of the largest Ford dealerships in Ireland with showrooms in Tallaght and Rathfarnham. Kieran Wallace of KPMG has been appointed as the receiver to company. The firm’s rental division, which had 1,500 Ford vehicles, has also stopped operations. Armada Fleet Services, a related company to South Dublin Motors, continues to trade as normal and will be unaffected by today’s announcement. The most recent audited accounts to December 31, 2008 reported losses in excess of €1m for the year and no accounts have been…

Ten laptops were stolen from the Revenue Commissioners office on the Navan Road last night. It is understood that three men were involved in the robbery at Ashtown, during which 10 laptops were taken. The Data Protection Commissioner has now launched an investigation as it is unclear what information was stored on the computers. The commissioner, Billy Hawkes, wants to establish if any data stored was of a sensitive nature. The Revenue said all of its laptops, including the stolen ones, are encrypted. However, Hawkes will look to confirm the security measures were sufficient to ensure privacy of personal information. Meanwhile, today is Data Protection Day which aims to let…

Dublin-based airline CityJet posted pre-tax losses of €51.5m for the year to the end of March 2010. The airline said that its passenger numbers increased but revenues still fell 8pc. Average fares dropped 16pc, explaining this phenomenon. In a report to the Companies Office, CityJet said, “The negative result at operating level was due to the continued severe economic environment with sharp decline in business traffic and extreme volatility in oil prices and currencies.” The company aims to return to profit by the end of 2012.

The receiver of Celtic Bookmakers is hoping to save 29 of the 47 outlets, which were previously owned by former politician and broadcaster Ivan Yates. Yesterday, 16 of the bookies’ shops were closed. As a result, 56 jobs were lost. Four stores in Dublin were closed, along with others in Kilkenny, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Kerry, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon. The outlets will reopen for one day next week to pay out on all bets. The remaining 29 are for sale and receive Hughes Blake is seeking expressions of interest. Neil Hughes, the receiver, is selling the fully-fitted and staffed stores as going concerns. About 44 expressions of interest have…

As final bids for EBS Building Society are being completed by the two remaining bidders – a private equity consortium led by Dublin firm Cardinal and Irish Life & Permanent – it has emerged that Cardinal has increased its offer and said its initial cash injection will be over €600m. Previously, the Cardinal consortium had offered to inject €525m in cash into the troubled lender. The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) is handling the sale said the two final bids had been received ahead of yesterday’s headline. Currently, EBS is state-controlled following €875m of State funding being used to rescue the lender. However, a further €438m is needed by the…