Things are starting to look up for Aer Lingus

The fact that Etihad’s energetic chief executive is showing interest in our one-time national carrier spells good news at a time when Ireland’s economy is in rebuilding mode, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

It has been a good week for Aer Lingus and by extension, the State, owner of one quarter of the airline.

The mood music has been improved by the release of a relatively strong set of quarterly results combined and by the news that the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airlines has snapped up almost 3% of the company. This produced a modest uplift in the Aer Lingus share price.