Air Transport

Good Week

RYANAIR Love it or hate it, you have to respect the gravity-defying low-cost carrier. After turning a €105 million ($153 million) profit in its year to end March, last week it said it expects to eclipsethat for 2009-10 and rake in between €200 million and €300 million owing to rising passenger numbers. Meanwhile, the airline's cash reserves have risen from €2.5 billion to €2.8 billion, prompting speculation that it may pay its shareholders a dividend for the first time ever.

 

 

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Bad Week

© Airbus

AUSTRIAN AIRLINES In July the carrier announced 1,000 full-time job cuts to take its complement down to 6,500, but now it sees the "necessity" and the "potential" to further reduce staff numbers to closer to 6,000 employees. Austrian, which wasrecently taken over by Lufthansa, will notreveal the amount of savings targeted by higher staff cutbacks or other policies, but it hints that maintenance workers may bearthe brunt of thejob cuts.