Ryanair set to take on Lufthansa in German market

Ryanair wants to challenge Germany’s Lufthansa in its home market, chief executive Michael O’Leary was quoted as saying, as he predicted the domestic airline would fail in its bid to build a low-cost business.

Mr O’Leary said Ryanair wanted to grow its market share to 15%-20% from a current 4% in the next three to four years, in an interview with the Handelsblatt business daily.

He dismissed plans approved by Lufthansa last month to expand its own budget flight operations, saying the firm would still have a cost disadvantage, which meant it would not succeed. Lufthansa, which has been hit by a string of strikes by its pilots, is battling to compete with budget carriers on lucrative long-haul routes.