NO-FRILLS airline easyJet broadened its wings by announcing further expansion plans but promised to continue to keep fares low.

The Luton-based carrier is already in takeover talks with rival Go, a former British Airways subsidiary in a deal that could be worth around £400 million.

Now easyJet has announced it has agreed an option to buy BA's German subsidiary Deutsche BA at any time up to the end of March next year in a deal worth around £30m.

EasyJet chief executive, Ray Webster, said his company hoped to conclude the Go deal "within the next few days".

He added: "Critics have said that by acquiring Go we will put prices up. That's furthest from our minds. We have no intention of changing any aspect of our business model."

On jobs, Mr Webster said that as far as the Go deal was concerned there would be "very few job reductions". As far as DBA was concerned he said some staff might be displaced among them administration and secretarial posts.

He said that easyJet was determined to continue to operate its own services from Luton and Go's from Stansted airport in Essex, while the DBA operation would remain distinctly German.

The DBA deal will see easyJet paying around £375,000 a month until it takes up the option to buy and it will also contribute around £3.1m towards the cost of turning the German operation into a low-cost airline.