No hamburgers or frankfurters, but Ryanair will be serving Germany more

Germany is Europe's number two aviation market (after the UK) by seats. However, although Ryanair is Germany's third largest carrier, its share of seats there is only about 6%. It has a 14% share of capacity across all its markets and a significantly higher share in other major countries such as Italy, Spain and the UK. This under-representation in Germany may be about to change.

Although high charges at the main hubs and a well-organised main competitor have hindered Ryanair's growth in Germany, it has shown at bases such as Duesseldorf Weeze and Frankfurt Hahn that it can build a dominant position.

Now, just as that competitor is focusing inwardly on its own restructuring, Ryanair is opening 47 routes from Germany in 2013, including three new airports. Looking further ahead, it has declared that it is in talks with 20 German airports with a view to adding five or six to its route network. We assess Ryanair's current position and prospects in Germany, including consideration of which airports might attract it.