Michael O’Leary: Ryanair set for German dominance

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has said that the airline is on course to usurp Air Berlin as the second largest player in the German market behind Lufthansa. O’Leary said that so-called low fares rivals in the country are only going in the opposite direction. He predicted Lufthansa will ultimately close down Eurowings which is “doomed to fail because it cannot compete on price with us”. O’Leary also said he believes Air Berlin will be sold to Lufthansa by Etihad Airways in the next couple of years and that he hopes there will be a price war in the German air travel market. Last year Ryanair said it would begin focusing on the German market as a means of fuelling short-term growth, at the expense of long-haul routes to the likes of Russia and Israel. <br/>