Budapest-based Wizz Air will continue to tap the low-cost airline business in eastern Europe, securing an advantage on western European rivals including Ryanair, Fitch Ratings has said in a review of European airlines’ recent earnings.

Geoff Percival Shares in Europe’s main airlines fell sharply after the British government said it would consider an independent proposal to charge carriers a seat tax in order to cover the cost of transporting stranded passengers if an airline goes bust.

Norwegian Air says that it remains fully committed to starting Cork flights to the US in July despite its share price dropping sharply on the back of rising costs for its expanding transatlantic fleet.

Air France-KLM joined other European airlines in warning of the impact on revenue this year of recent attacks in France and political upheaval elsewhere as it reported a drop in sales and braced for a strike by its staff.

Holidaymakers are set to benefit from a fresh price war among European airlines this summer, with Ryanair about to slash costs and competitors likely to follow suit.

Belgium’s prime minister lashed out at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for offering free train tickets to Amsterdam to lure passengers away from the bomb-crippled Brussels airport.

At least half of all Air France flights have been cancelled as pilots begin a week-long strike amid anger over jobs and operations being moved to a low-cost carrier.

European network carriers including Air France-KLM Group and Deutsche Lufthansa face a heightened challenge from Ryanair-led discount airlines and Gulf operators serving routes to Asia, analysis by Amadeus IT Holding SA shows.

European aviation stocks declined, following a drop among Asian carriers, on concern an outbreak of the bird-flu virus in China will clip travel and hurt demand already unsettled by rising military tensions with North Korea.

Davy Stockbrokers is picking Ryanair as its transport stock of 2013 as it expects the no-frills airline to revitalise growth.

An increase in air traffic during the Christmas period has boosted all of the main European airlines, according to traffic statistics released yesterday.

Air France-KLM said today that its net loss ballooned to nearly €900m in the second quarter after it took a hefty charge to pay for restructuring which will see it shed about 10% of its workforce.

THE family of a young Irish woman who died in the June 2009 Air France-KLM plane crash off Brazil believe evidence in the second recovered black box will prove whether the airline was responsible for her death.

RYANAIR is considering breaking with tradition and paying shareholders a one-off dividend.

An Air France jet feared to have crashed into the Atlantic with 228 people on board today reported electrical problems shortly before vanishing.

RYANAIR, Easyjet and Air Berlin were raised by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) analysts yesterday, with the bank seeing less downside risk to low cost carrier revenues than network airlines.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today said it would cut prices on all European flights by up to 40 % in January, in response to competition from other airlines and drops in average ticket prices.

Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines may obtain European Commission approval for their planned merger as early as next week, according to French daily newspaper Les Echos.

THERE should be little immediate impact on Aer Lingus and Ryanair following the merger of Air France and Dutch carrier KLM to create Europe’s biggest airline, analysts predicted last night.