Budget Airline easyJet on Expansion Course in Germany

The British no-frills flyer easyJet announced on Wednesday it will expand its operations in Germany and begin offering flights out of Berlin’s Schönefeld airport in May 2004. The airline will fly to 11 destinations in six countries, according to company head Ray Webster, who made the announcement from Schönefeld, the primary airport of the former East Germany, which is located just south east of Berlin. Webster said the company planned on turning Schönefeld into its third European hub after Geneva and Paris. Up to now, easyJet has only operated one route in Germany, between Munich and London. The company predicts it will transport 800,000 passengers in and out of Schönefeld next year and 1.7 million in 2005. easyJet, which began operations in 1995, has become one of Europe’s largest no-frills airlines and flies more than 100 routes between 40 airports.