EasyJet is reportedly hoping to set up a new European hub at Berlin, providing flights from 11 European cities to “the clubbing capital of the continent”.
The Guardian today reports that the no-frills carrier wants to operate six aircraft out of the city’s Shonefeld airport, serving continental cities including Paris, Athens, Copenhagen and Naples, as well as Luton, Liverpool, Bristol and Newcastle in the UK. The move on the German market comes after EasyJet failed to buy the German carrier Deutche BA earlier this year.
The EasyJet chief executive Ray Webster reportedly told the newspaper: “Berlin has become a pretty sexy destination. It is now the clubbing capital of Europe and a lot of the German film industry is moving into Berlin.” He added that “when the German economy recovers”, he would expect EasyJet to pick up “substantial outbound traffic” over the next few years.
The deputy chairman of Deutche BA, Eric Kohn, reportedly said: “We wish them all the best of luck, but they will have to learn to operate in a German market, where many British companies have failed in the past.”
