Transportation Industry

Company Watch - Ryanair

AirGuide Business, Sept 8, 2008

Sep 7, 2008

Ryanair said on Thursday it carried 5.78 million passengers in August, 19 percent more than a year earlier, though the average flight was slightly less full. Europe's biggest low-cost carrier said its load factor was 90 percent in the month, down from 91 percent in August 2007. Sep 4, 2008

Ryanair will launch twice-weekly London Stansted-Agadir on Oct. 28. Sep 4, 2008

Ryanair has struck out at Aer Lingus, in which it holds a 29.8% stake, criticising its strategy in the wake of its interim results. The two carriers have shared a tempestuous relationship since Ryanair launched an audacious, but ultimately unsuccessful, takeover bid in October 2006. Following the release of Aer Lingus' interim results, Ryanair says it is "deeply concerned" that Aer Lingus "appears to be" forecasting a EUR70 million ($102 million) loss this year which it claims may grow to a loss of over EUR100 million in 2009. Sep 2, 2008

Ryanair had promised to reduce Aer Lingus's fares, scrap its fuel surcharges and reduce its costs, he added. Aer Lingus posted a half-year loss on Thursday hit by record high fuel prices and slower markets, adding that it needed a major cost-cutting drive to remain viable. Chief executive Dermot Mannion denied, however, that it had become more vulnerable to a takeover, arguing that it was still in a better position than most European short-haul carriers. Many analysts agree that it has one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry with more than EUR800 million euros in cash. Sep 1, 2008

Ryanair said it welcomed the decision of the Hamburg Court to uphold its injunction against Vtours.de, which it described as "a screenscraper/ticket-tout website which was previously selling Ryanair tickets, with inflated hidden markups, to German consumers." Ryanair's aggressive stance against screenscrapers has drawn the attention of the European Commission.

Sep 1, 2008

Ryanair said on Monday that its earlier plans to create a single Irish airline group looked justified after rival Aer Lingus announced last week it would be loss-making into 2009. Ryanair, whose bid for Aer Lingus was blocked last year by the European Commission on competition grounds, has often complained that in the current wave of European airline mergers it should be allowed to buy the former state carrier. Sep 1, 2008

Ryanair, which holds more than 29 percent of Aer Lingus shares and nearly three times more cash than its rival, said Aer Lingus' "independence strategy" had failed. Ryanair, Europe's biggest low-cost carrier, has said it could also make a small loss this year for the first time since 1989 as it cuts fares to grab business from struggling rivals. Sep 1, 2008

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