Ryanair may be forced to trim Aer Lingus stake

Ryanair may be ordered to sell some, if not all, of its shares in Aer Lingus following a probe by the competition commission in Britain into its near 30% stake in the Irish flag bearer.

Commission deputy chairman Simon Polito said Ryanair had undue influence on the strategic decisions of its rival. “Whilst not giving it control over the day-to-day running of its rival, Ryanair’s minority shareholding can influence the major strategic decisions that could be crucial to Aer Lingus’ future as a competitive airline,” he said.

The commission said they felt ordering a change in Ryanair’s behaviour would not be a significant enough remedy.