BERLIN, June 10 (Reuters) - Eurowings, the budget unit ofcarrier Lufthansa, is expecting to make a profit in 2017following losses in 2016 due to the costs of expanding theoperation, the unit's Chief Financial Officer said on Friday.
Lufthansa has set up Eurowings to address the market fordirect flights serving mainly price sensitive leisuretravellers, in response to low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet taking share on short-haul routes.
"We expect a constant increase in adjusted earnings beforeinterest and tax over the next years," Joerg Beissel toldinvestors at a presentation on Friday.
He said Eurowings also aimed to bring unit costs down by 28percent by 2020 compared to 2015 and was working to increase theproductivity of its fleet, where each plane flies on averagearound 9.8 hours a day. (Reporting by Victoria Bryan)
easyJet (EZJ)