Ryanair says push into Germany ahead of schedule

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, is capturing market share quicker than expected in Germany, an executive said yesterday.

Ryanair, which is expanding routes out of Cologne and Berlin in particular, ended 2015 with a 5% share of the German air travel market and expects that to rise to between 8% and 10% this year, Kenny Jacobs, chief marketing officer, said on the sidelines of the ITB travel fair in Berlin.

“Michael has said we’ll get to 20% within a five-year period but so far we’re ahead of that projection,” he said, referring to Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary.