‘No Walsh conflict’ if Aer Lingus sold

There are procedures in place to deal with any potential conflict of interest that will arise if the Government decides to sell Aer Lingus while Willie Walsh is NTMA chairman, according to the Department of Finance.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan announced on Monday that he was appointing ex-Aer Lingus CEO Mr Walsh to the advisory board of the NTMA with a view to becoming the agency’s future chairman.

One of the NTMA’s subsidiaries is NewEra, which is responsible for advising the Government on the divestment of State assets, including Aer Lingus.