Austrian start-up airline Laudamotion and its new partner Ryanair will operate a total of 21 aircraft operating from nine cities starting in June, the companies confirmed today.
The carrier, formed out of the ashes of Air Berlin subsidiary Niki, will operate its summer 2018 schedule from cities in Austria and Germany. Laudamotion will eventually have a total of nine bases in three countries: Austria (Vienna), Germany (Berlin Tegel, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart), and Switzerland (Zurich). The airline aims to fly to 44 airports operating 65 routes in its first summer.
Laudamotion and Ryanair’s partnership was revealed last week, with the Irish low-fare giant initially acquiring 24.9% of the Austrian airline, formed by former Formula One world champion Niki Lauda. That stake will eventually rise to 75%, subject to approval by the EU Competition Authority.
The aim is to further develop and expand Laudamotion, headquartered in Vienna, with Lauda to chair the airline’s board and be responsible in his new role for establishing the carrier as an Austrian low-fare airline for the scheduled and charter market.
21-aircraft programme
The agreement with Ryanair, say the companies, will allow the gradual growth of Laudamotion in Austria, which currently has a fleet of 10 Airbus aircraft. Ryanair will provide financial and management support as well as six wet-lease aircraft this summer to enable the startup to deliver its 21-aircraft programme from June.
Four aircraft will be based in Vienna, with flights to Palma de Mallorca to rise to up to three connections daily. Four more will be based in Berlin Tegel, six in Dusseldorf, one each in Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart, respectively, with two in Zurich.
The new Berlin Tegel base will open on 1 June with four aircraft, offering low-fare routes to 17 holiday destinations: Barcelona, Brindisi, Corfu, Faro, Fuerteventura, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kos, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Malaga, Milan Malpensa, Palma de Mallorca, Pula, Rhodes, Rijeka and Tenerife. These routes are now on sale via Ryanair’s website.
In the coming winter the new airline says it will focus on a city shuttle service with up to three more aircraft based in Vienna.
Laudamotion’s inaugural flight took off from Dusseldorf to Palma de Mallorca last Sunday – just 25 days after the takeover from Niki on 1 March.
Lauda said he was “pleased to confirm that Laudamotion is now up and running and I would like to thank the Laudamotion team for all their hard work and enthusiasm, which has allowed us to start efficiently and on time. We look forward to building the Laudamotion brand and to creating new jobs, more promotional opportunities and greater consumer choice, particularly in Vienna where we will more than double our Airbus aircraft base next year.”
He also welcomed Michael O’Leary and the Ryanair team to Vienna to mark the start of the partnership, which will see the airline eventually grow its fleet to more than 30 Airbus aircraft.
Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary, said: “We share Niki Lauda’s vision to develop a successful Austrian low-fare airline in a market dominated by Lufthansa’s high-fare Austrian and Swiss subsidiaries. Indeed, Laudamotion is now in pole position to accelerate rapidly in both the scheduled and charter markets in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.”
He added the partnership would be of “enormous benefit” to both Ryanair and Laudamotion customers. “The Laudamotion AOC will support a fleet of Airbus aircraft, which is something we have hoped to develop within the Ryanair Group for some years. And in turn, Ryanair will support Laudamotion by providing access to our fleet and financial resources, allowing for more rapid growth. This is also good news for Laudamotion’s people, providing improved job security and promotional opportunities at Austria’s first low-fares airline.”
[Photo: Niki Lauda (left) and Michael O’Leary confirm the partnership’s plans for Laudamotion.]
