Ryanair ‘has last chance’ in takeover bid

Ryanair has one last chance to argue the merits of its latest attempt to acquire Aer Lingus, the EU’s anti-trust chief said yesterday, as he prepares to decide the deal’s fate.

The low-cost carrier is making its third takeover bid for Aer Lingus after the European Commission blocked its first attempt in 2007 and Ryanair dropped its second in 2009.

Ryanair submitted a third set of proposals to the EU competition authority last month. Among them were a promise to cede 43 routes to British-based rival Flybe and three of Aer Lingus’s Heathrow routes to British Airways, a source said.