Ireland: Ryanair beats CC to the punch with Aer Lingus sell-off – with a catch

In the latest in a series of scuffles between the UK’s Competition and budget airliner Ryanair, Ryanair said it was prepared to sell off its share of Aer Lingus following a long running dispute between the stake – but only to another airliner looking to buyout Aer Lingus entirely. The Commission is set to declare that Ryaniar should be required to sell off its 29 percent stake in the rival company; the regulator has stopped Ryanair three times from buyout out the rest of Aer Lingus. But ahead of the announcement, Ryanair said it was prepared to sell that stake to another airline looking to acquire Aer Lingus. In a statement, a spokesperson for Ryanair slammed the Commission’s concern over the 29 percent Aer Lingus share as “bogus” and scolded the regulator for its decisions despite acknowledging that Ryanair’s current share in the competitor has not given Ryanair any additional power in the market and that the ownership has “intensified competition to the benefit of the perhaps one or maybe two UK consumers who even fly Aer Lingus.” The Commission announced concerns of Ryanair’s ownership in Aer Lingus last May.

Full Content: London Evening Standard

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