Ryanair rules out bid for Air Berlin

Ryanair is unlikely to bid for any part of broke German carrier Air Berlin but Michael O’Leary has said the Irish airline will continue to expand in Germany.

Earlier this week, Ryanair lodged formal complaints with the European Commission and Germany’s competition authority calling Air Berlin’s insolvency a “conspiracy” to allow Lufthansa buy parts of its competitor and gain a monopoly in Germany.

Air Berlin filed for insolvency on Tuesday after main shareholder Etihad Airways withdrew financial support; prompting the German government via its state development bank to keep it afloat via a €150m bridging loan.