Aer Lingus warns trade buyer could hurt profit

AER LINGUS is seeing increased interest from US travellers with the airline saying it wants to buy more Heathrow slots.

It also said that it would not be in favour of the government selling its 25% stake to a larger rival, which could undermine its business model by damaging current partnerships and driving up costs.

Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller said the airline is seeing stronger than expected demand in its business-class segment — especially from the US — adding that it is benefiting from Ireland being an export market and the only English-speaking euro-denominated country.