Laudamotion to double Airbus fleet next year

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian leisure airline Laudamotion, which is majority-owned by Ryanair <RYA.I>, plans to double its Airbus <AIR.PA> fleet to 18 next year, its managing director said on Wednesday.

"In 2019, we expect 18 Airbus planes, which adds 9 aircraft to our current (Airbus) fleet," Andreas Gruber told a news conference.

Negotiations with a trade union regarding a collective wage agreement are ongoing, Gruber said, adding that Laudamotion will increase the salaries for its pilots from April.

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; editing by Jason Neely)