Ryanair considers eastern expansion

NO-FRILLS airline Ryanair said yesterday that it was considering expanding to the former Soviet bloc, as it extended a deadline for staff at newly-acquired Buzz to accept a job offer or face closure.

“We’ve talked to airports in just about every former Soviet bloc country (in eastern Europe),” Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary told a news conference in London. “If one of these eastern European airports comes up with an exceptional offer in terms of facilities and costs next summer, we may stick something there.”

Ryanair, which competes with EasyJet for the title of Europe’s biggest budget airline, has become one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe by cutting fares and flying to secondary airports with an all-Boeing 737 fleet.