Easyjet €40m Air Berlin asset deal to take on Ryanair

British airline Easyjet is set to win unconditional EU competition approval to buy parts of failed German peer Air Berlin, say sources.

The budget airline will take on some of Air Berlin’s operations at Tegel airport in the German capital for around €40m. It will also take on leases for up to 25 A320 aircraft, and about 1,000 of Air Berlin’s pilots and cabin crew. The move will allow Easyjet to further bolster its position in Berlin, pulling far ahead of Ireland’s Ryanair and Lufthansa in the German capital.Air Berlin was the largest carrier in Berlin before its insolvency, followed by the combined Lufthansa Group airlines, Ryanair and Easyjet.