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Ryanair transatlantic flights

March 17, 2015

Ireland's Ryanair has confirmed its resolve to get transatlantic flights off the ground within the next five years, including from Berlin. But for that it'll have to expand its fleet with suitable long-haul planes.

https://p.dw.com/p/1ErzW
Ryanair passenger plane Photo: ROBIN TOWNSEND/dpa
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

The executive board of Irish no-frills airline Ryanair gave the green light for plans to start operating low-cost transatlantic routes in the next five years.

"The Guardian" and the "Financial Times" said Tuesday the carrier was aiming to include Dublin, London, Cologne and Berlin as its European bases for flights across the pond to New York, Boston and Washington.

"European consumers want lower-cost travel to the US and the same goes for Americans coming to Europe," Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said in a statement. "We see it as a logical development in the European market."

Fleet reshuffle

Ryanair said proposed transatlantic fares would start from as little as 10 pounds ($14, 13.2 euros) one-way, with regular prices close to 100 pounds per ticket.

But the airline will first have to talk to manufacturers about sourcing suitable long-haul aircraft.

Ryanair discovers service

"It's unclear how quickly Ryanair might be able to hold of enough aircraft, but it's hard to see the service operating before 2019-2020," "The Irish Times" commented.

Ryanair is Europe's largest carrier by passenger numbers and has forecast profits between 840-850 million euros for its current fiscal year running until the end of the month.

hg/ng (AFP, Reuters)