- Laudamotion’s summer 2018 schedule:
- 21 aircraft
- 9 bases in Austria – Vienna; Germany – Berlin Tegel, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart; Switzerland – Zurich
- 44 airports
- 65 routes
Laudamotion and Ryanair have revealed details of the Austrian airline’s summer 2018 schedule with 21 aircraft operating from nine cities in Austria and Germany from June.
It follows last week’s surprise announcement that Ryanair is to take a 24.9pc stake in Laudamotion, headquarted in Vienna, which will increase to 75pc subject to approval by the EU Competition Authority. Formula 1 legend and aviation veteran Niki Lauda will chair the newly created board and be responsible in his new role for establishing Laudamotion as an Austrian low-fare airline for the scheduled and charter market.
Niki Lauda, Laudamotion Chairman, right, and Michael O’Leary, Vienna, March 28, 2018
Ryanair will provide financial and management support to Laudamotion, which has 10 Airbus aircraft, with Ryanair providing six wet-lease aircraft for summer to enable Laudamotion to complete a 21-aircraft schedule from June.
Four aircraft will be based in Vienna and the frequency of flights to Palma de Mallorca will increase to up to three daily connections. Four Laudamotion aircraft will be based in Berlin Tegel, six in Dusseldorf, one each in Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart respectively, with two in Zurich.
Laudamotion’s new Berlin Tegel base will open on June 1 with four based aircraft, offering low fare routes to Barcelona, Brindisi, Corfu, Faro, Fuerteventura, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kos, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Malaga, Milan Malpensa, Palma de Mallorca, Pula, Rhodes, Rijeka and Tenerife. These routes will go on sale today on Laudamotion’s partner’s website, Ryanair.com.
This coming winter, Laudamotion will focus on a city shuttle service with up to three more aircraft based in Vienna, allowing Austrian customers to benefit from a wider selection of flights at affordable prices to Europe’s major cities.
Niki Lauda said: “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. I am pleased to welcome Michael O’Leary and the Ryanair team to Vienna to mark the start of our partnership, which will see Laudamotion grow its fleet to more than 30 Airbus aircraft and provide wider choice and lower fares to Viennese consumers and visitors.”
Michael O’Leary said: “Ryanair is pleased to support this first summer schedule for Laudamotion, which is great news for Austrian consumers and visitors, who can now book low fare flights and benefit from genuine competition and more choice. We share Niki Lauda’s vision to develop a successful Austrian low fares 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.
“This partnership will 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.”
