Lufthansa targets further Irish route growth

Lufthansa has said its likely purchase of the bulk of Air Berlin will make it “very well positioned” to compete better with Ryanair across Europe, even though it will still have an inferior share of the market.

The German flag carrier is set to takeover the bulk of Air Berlin — which has been propped up by a €150m German government loan since August, when largest shareholder Etihad Airways pulled its support — pending formal European Commission approval. EasyJet and Thomas Cook-owned airline Condor are, reportedly, in talks to acquire some of Air Berlin’s other assets.

Speaking in Dublin yesterday, Lufthansa’s head of operations for Ireland, the UK and Iceland Andreas Koester said the airline is “very confident” it will succeed in getting regulatory approval for the transaction.