Aer Lingus to seek 'friendly investor'

The chairman of Aer Lingus said he will seek a friendly investor to take a majority stake in the airline and finally stave off a €750 million bid from arch-rival Ryanair. "If they don't get us this time around, they won't get us again because I am not...

The chairman of Aer Lingus said he will seek a friendly investor to take a majority stake in the airline and finally stave off a €750 million bid from arch-rival Ryanair.

"If they don't get us this time around, they won't get us again because I am not going to stay as chairman for three years and have this hanging over me," Colm Barrington said in an interview with the Irish Times newspaper.

Mr Barrington said he had not identified a perfect partner for loss-making Aer Lingus but said that from a "consumer point of view" and "a country point of view" Air France KLM "would be a better option than Ryanair".

He said that Aer Lingus would also consider issuing shares to dilute Ryanair's near 30 per cent shareholding.

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