Irish low-cost carrier, Ryanair has announced it will open a new base in Berlin from October 27, this year.

With five based aircraft, Berlin will become the airlines’ 73rd base, and will see the launch of sixteen new routes, bringing the total number of destinations to 22.

The new routes will include Alicante, Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Bologna, Bratislava, Brussels, Glasgow, Madrid, Malaga, Palermo, Palma, Riga, Rome Ciampino, Venice and Valencia.

Emphasis on higher-yielding business travellers is clear, with the three-times-daily link to Brussels, as well as the twice-daily operation to Madrid and the four-times-daily service increase on the airlines’ existing London Stansted operation. The airlines current operation between Berlin and Dublin will also see a service increase, from seven to nine weekly.

Ryanair will offer a total of 191 weekly flights from its new base in Berlin, after adding extra flights to/from Dublin, London Stansted and Milan.

Ryanair’s Chief Marketing Officer Kenny Jacobs said: “German consumers and visitors already choose Ryanair for our low fares, industry leading customer service and great route choice. Now they can also book 22 Berlin routes on our improved website and great new app, carry a free small 2nd carry-on bag, enjoy allocated seats, avail of our new Family Extra and Business Plus services, and use their personal electronic devices at all stages of their flight, as Ryanair continues to deliver so much more than just the lowest fares.”

Services to both Malaga and Palermo will operate twice-weekly, while operations to/from Alicante, Bari, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia and Venice will all fly three-times-weekly, and are more likely to attract leisure travellers. Glasgow will run four-times weekly, while Athens, Barcelona, Bologna, Bratislava and Riga will all operate on a daily basis. Alongside Madrid, the service to Rome Ciampino will fly twice daily.

Germany is a significant growth market for Ryanair, and Berlin will become the sixth German base for the airline. Ryanair expects to deliver 2.6 million annual customers, and support 2,600 onsite local jobs with the new base.

Ryanair is set to open its first Slovakian base at Bratislava this month, with two based aircraft, and 16 new routes. The airlines' 72nd base will open next month in the Azores - Ryanair's fourth Portuguese base, with one based aircraft, and three new routes to London Stansted, Lisbon and Porto.