Aer Lingus ‘still in Etihad sights’

The Government’s 25% stake in Aer Lingus remains an investment prospect for Etihad Airways, according to the airline’s chief executive officer James Hogan.

“All I’ve said is that if they were to open their books then we’d have a look at it,” he told Bloomberg yesterday, adding that Aer Lingus has a “pension issue” that would have to be evaluated.

While the Government said they didn’t want to sell their stake in the national airline at a fire sale price, they have said that once the market recovers they will consider selling Aer Lingus.