Easyjet to increase presence in German aviation market

BERLIN, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- British budget airline Easyjet will increase its presence in Germany to challenge German market leader Lufthansa, the company revealed on Wednesday.

Easyjet said that it would operate four new routes within Germany from Jan. 5, 2018. A total of 250 weekly flights from Berlin-Tegel airport will begin servicing destinations Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

The announcement comes amid mounting fears that Lufthansa will become an even more dominant player in Germany after successfully acquiring the lion's share of insolvent budget carrier Air Berlin. Industry experts have since warned that the company's resulting stranglehold on the domestic aviation market could harm competition and lead to higher prices for customers.

Easyjet confirmed in October that it had submitted a bid to acquire parts of Air Berlin's business at the Berlin Tegel airport in order to become the "leading short-haul operator" there. The British company also offered to take thousands of former Air Berlin employees onto its payroll.

Speaking to press on Wednesday, Easyjet Europe manager Thomas Haagensen said that his firm was happy "to offer more competition and lower rates, in particular for domestic connections for which there is currently only a very limited selection."

Haagensen noted that Easyjet's new flight schedule at Berlin Tegel airport would be attractive to business travelers as well, due to the availability of early departure times.

In addition to the four domestic routes, Easyjet will offer new 15 international connections from Berlin Tegel to Paris, Vienna, Zuerich and Palma de Mallorca.

All of the route plans outlined on Wednesday are conditional upon approval from the European Union competition authorities for Easyjet's acquisition of up to 25 Air Berlin jets. Enditem