Budget Irish airline Ryanair is to stop basing planes at Maastricht Aachen airport in March 2014, an airport spokesman has confirmed.

The airline, which has not commented officially, will continue to fly from Maastricht but will no longer keep planes there, local broadcaster L1 reported. This means a sharp reduction in the number of flights, sources told the broadcaster.

Ryanair has used Maastricht as a permanent base for the past year and is said to have invested €70m in facilities there last year.

Earlier this month, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary told a news conference he hoped to be flying out of Schiphol airport within five years.