Austrian airline Laudamotion, in which Ryanair is buying a majority stake, is in talks with both Airbus and leasing companies to expand its fleet quickly as it seeks to establish itself following its rebirth from the remains of Air Berlin.
"It's very hard. Airbus is sold out until end of 2020," Laudamotion chairman Niki Lauda told journalists in Berlin today.
"But there are enough leasing firms," he added.
Laudamotion currently has nine Airbus A320 planes and is using a further 10 Boeing 737 jets from Ryanair this year, taking its fleet to 19.
It wants to reach a fleet of 30 planes within the next two years.
Lauda said he wanted to get A320s at the start of next year to replace the Ryanair jets.
