EASYJET TO PAY €40M FOR LEASES, SLOTS
England-based carrier gains access to 2nd airport in Berlin
EASYJET Plc will take over leases for as many as 25 of Air Berlin Plc’s planes and gain access to a second airport in the city as the former No. 2 German airline is liquidated.
EasyJet would pay €40 million (RM197 million) for the Airbus SE A320 aircraft leases and take-off and landing slots at Berlin Tegel Airport, said the England-based discount carrier in a statement on Friday.
It has also launched a recruitment campaign to attract about 1,000 of Air Berlin’s pilots and cabin crew.
“This will enable EasyJet to operate the leading short-haul network at Tegel connecting passengers to and from destinations across Germany and the rest of Europe. This is in addition to EasyJet’s existing base at Berlin Schoenefeld and would mean that EasyJet would be the leading airline in Berlin,” it said.
The deal bolsters EasyJet’s presence in Europe’s largest economy and shores up a front against the region’s biggest discounter, Ryanair Holdings Plc.
Both carriers have bases at Schoenefeld airport in the east of the German capital city, while Air Berlin’s main hub was at Tegel in the west, closer to federal government offices.
Acquiring parts of Air Berlin would help EasyJet make up lost ground in Germany, where it lags well behind Ryanair.
EasyJet also has its eyes on failed competitor Monarch Airlines Ltd, which operated 35 aircraft to destinations such as Spain and Portugal, and folded early this month.