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UK: Ryanair, Aer Lingus head to court in buyout battle

By  |  November 17, 2014

Ryanair has been fighting now for seven years to acquire its Irish rival Aer Lingus. But the airliner has faced significant regulatory pushback and has been forced to divest nearly all of its ownership in the Irish company.

Now, the UK Court of Appeal will hear Ryanair’s fight to acquire Aer Lingus, while Aer Lingus will speak out in support of the European Commission’s and the now-Competition and Markets Authority’s decisions that forced Ryanair’s divestitures of the company.

The CMA ruled last year that Ryanair must sell all but 5 percent of its ownership in Aer Lingus to avoid harm to competition.

The matter was challenged by Ryanair at the Competition Appeals Tribunal, which upheld the CMA’s decision.

Reports say the legal battle at the Court of Appeal is likely to take months and may not be resolved until after the new year.

Full content: The Independent

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