EU regulators look into Ryan’s Aer Lingus bid

European officials have launched an in-depth investigation into Ryanair’s second takeover bid for Aer Lingus to determine how seriously competition would be hit.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th Aug 2012, 21:33 BST

The inquiry could run until January 14 as experts look at how air travel would be impacted by a single operator flying out of the country.

“On a large number of European routes, mainly out of Ireland, the two airlines are each other’s closest competitors and barriers to entry appear to be high,” the European Commission said.

“Many of these routes are currently only served by the two airlines.”

Ryanair, which already owns 30 per cent of Aer Lingus, offered 1.30 euro per share earlier this year, valuing the company at E694m (£559.6m).

The Irish Government still holds a 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, which it has been hoping to sell.