Irish budget carrier Ryanair is to begin domestic operations in France and Germany, linking Paris and Marseille in France and the German cities of Frankfurt and Berlin.

The French route will operate between Paris Beauvais and Marseille Provence’s new budget terminal. In Germany Ryanair will connect Frankfurt Hahn with Berlin Schonefeld.

Ryanair says that the May route launches will cut domestic fares, challenging incumbent carriers Air France and Lufthansa.

It says: “For too long, French and German passengers have been forced to suffer Air France and Lufthansa’s high fares and fuel surcharges for the privilege of air travel within their own countries.”

Ryanair is expecting the German domestic link to generate 200,000 passengers per year. It forecasts that the Paris-Marseille service will handle around 60,000 passengers annually.

Source: flightglobal.com’s sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence n

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