Ryanair has crowed that it will see off its German rivals Air Berlin and Eurowings.
“Low costs are our philosophy. We’re the Aldi of air travel,” Michael O’Leary said. “I’m hoping for a price war.”
Within two or three years Ryanair’s boss believes it will become Germany’s second largest carrier.
O’Leary told German newspaper Die Zeit that he believes that Lufthansa “will close Eurowings in two or three years or sell it”.
He claimed that Air Berlin has “no strategic direction” and that its co-owner Etihad will try to sell its share in the company within a few years.
Ryanair has been operating in Germany since 2008 and currently flies to 12 airports in the country operating both internal and European flights. It has plans to expand its services in Germany.
Eurowings is Lufthansa’s budget carrier and sparky readers will know that it was formerly called Germanwings. Despite fostering its own low-cost airline, Lufthansa has been plagued by repeated strikes by pilots and crew in recent years as management attempts to make its business more competitive against the budget alternatives.
Air Berlin is struggling to reach profitability. Last year it reported a €477 million loss after a loss of €377 million in 2014.
