Ryanair Considering Transatlantic Offering

Leading European budget airline Ryanair Holdings is looking into the opportunity of extending its offering across the Atlantic to the US.

Speaking on a flight from Dublin to Germany, the Irish air carrier’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said the company has been approached by a number of airports in the US who are enthusiastic about the company starting a long haul service.

Mr O’Leary, who is expected to retire from his position as head of the company in the near future, said that Ryanair would not invest any of its own funds into the new airline. He added that any new offering would be an associate or sister company and not a division of Ryanair itself.

The service is expected to serve US destinations such as New York, San Francisco, Florida and Dallas, from European bases in the UK, Ireland, Spain and Germany.

Mr O’Leary said for such an airline to exist, the cost of aircraft must drop, which he expects to happen over the next couple of years. It is also reliant on the implementation of the ‘open skies’ deal recently agreed between Europe and the US.