Ryanair appoints additional managing director at Laudamotion

Ryanair has appointed a third managing director at Laudamotion, the Austrian carrier said Monday, tightening its grip on the leisure airline at a time when the Irish company is dealing with unrest among its employees across Europe. Ryanair holds a 75% stake in Laudamotion, whose founder and minority shareholder Niki Lauda is still in hospital after a lung transplant this summer. CE Michael O’Leary and Lauda teamed up early this year after the collapse of Air Berlin in an attempt to expand in Germany and Austria and challenge flagship carrier Lufthansa. Colin Casey, who was a commercial manager for Ryanair, will work together with managing director Andreas Gruber and Lauda, Laudamotion said. “All three managing directors are only jointly authorised to represent the company,” Laudamotion said. One of the most pressing issues is negotiations with the Austrian GPA trade union over a collective wage agreement.<br/>