Ryanair said it will start selling long-haul tickets on behalf of Air Europa and hopes to start offering passengers direct connections to the Spanish low-cost carrier's flights later this year.

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers, is in talks with several airlines including Aer Lingus and Norwegian Air Shuttle about allowing passengers to connect directly on to long-haul flights, but it has yet to finalise a deal.

"We look forward to offering our 130 million customers an even greater choice and range of long-haul services in 2018," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said in a statement.

Madrid-based Air Europa offers low-cost long-haul flights to cities in North, Central and South America.

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