Eating his words
It was rare moment of humility for the rambunctious boss of Ryanair. "Twelve months ago I was of the opinion that flying to Poland does not make sense. I have changed my mind," admitted Michael O'Leary. But if his humble pie was difficult to swallow, he had some sweet figures to wash it down with. "Poland is a tremendous market for us - in the first 12 months of our operations here we will carry one million passengers over 11 routes," he added.
Ryanair has gotten over its Poland-phobia and is now "expanding rapidly and successfully." By the end of the year the carrier will provide connections with eight Polish destinations. "In the next five years we plan to carry over five million passengers," O'Leary said, mischievously adding that he would be surprised if after that period Ryanair didn't have a larger share of the market than LOT.
Indeed, Ryanair seems keen to open a base although, as O'Leary admitted, it won't happen next year. "We have recently announced two new bases, but in two to three years we will definitely have one or two bases in Poland," he said, adding that the number depends on the growth of the market.
The company is not afrad of competition, particularly from low-cost subsidiaries of national carriers, such as LOT's Centralwings or Lufthansa's Germanwings. "They are doomed to fail - they do not know how to manage a low-cost airline" - this is the O'Leary the air industry has come to love and loathe.
Although present in most large cities in Poland, Ryanair doesn't offer connections with Warsaw. But the CEO won't rule it out for the future. "It depends on the quality of facilities and the low costs that they will offer," he said.
Ryanair has gotten over its Poland-phobia and is now "expanding rapidly and successfully." By the end of the year the carrier will provide connections with eight Polish destinations. "In the next five years we plan to carry over five million passengers," O'Leary said, mischievously adding that he would be surprised if after that period Ryanair didn't have a larger share of the market than LOT.
Indeed, Ryanair seems keen to open a base although, as O'Leary admitted, it won't happen next year. "We have recently announced two new bases, but in two to three years we will definitely have one or two bases in Poland," he said, adding that the number depends on the growth of the market.
The company is not afrad of competition, particularly from low-cost subsidiaries of national carriers, such as LOT's Centralwings or Lufthansa's Germanwings. "They are doomed to fail - they do not know how to manage a low-cost airline" - this is the O'Leary the air industry has come to love and loathe.
Although present in most large cities in Poland, Ryanair doesn't offer connections with Warsaw. But the CEO won't rule it out for the future. "It depends on the quality of facilities and the low costs that they will offer," he said.
