Budget airlines primed for land grab as flag carriers face change of flight path
Ready for take-off: Ryanair and its fellow low-cost carriers are primed for European expansion, probably at the expense of flag carriers like Air France and Lufthansa. (Getty Images)
After nearly a year of intense disruption, one could be forgiven for expecting even Ryanair’s perennially bullish boss Michael O’Leary to be a little downcast about the state of his industry.
But despite the near daily cries of anguish issuing from the airlines sector, the Irishman’s eyes are fixed firmly on the future.
Speaking after the release of the carrier’s third quarter results, he said: “We’ll emerge with a much-lower cost base and where there is significantly reduced capacity, we’ll look to take advantage.