Ex-race ace Lauda's reclaimed, rebranded airline targets 2019 profit

Niki Lauda aims to turn a profit from next year with Laudamotion, the airline he has rebranded after buying it back from insolvent Air Berlin, the ex-motor racing champion said Friday. The former Niki airline, which he founded in 2003, will begin operations under its new name on March 25 with six leased aircraft. Its first flight will be from Duesseldorf, Germany, to Palma de Mallorca. “You cannot expect to make money in the first year. But if you make it right, you should start earning money from the second year on,” Lauda a news conference in Vienna. The three-times Formula One champion pipped BA owner IAG to win the bidding for Niki in January, initially investing around E50m and then more to relaunch operations. Lauda said he will add flights from Switzerland from April and from Austria from June, expanding the fleet to 21 planes. The carrier will fly to holiday destinations in Greece, Spain and Italy in summer and add city shuttles and charter flights later this year. “Shuttles at the right price with the right product plus charter flights, this is what we need and my goal is to implement that from autumn,” he said. Of the 60,000 takeoff and landing slots he bought as Niki assets only 40,000 were needed, and he will return 20,000.<br/>