Strict aviation laws could deter Aer Lingus buyers

THE sale of Aer Lingus is unlikely to attract huge interest from other airlines because of strict aviation laws, according to experts.

David Learmount, operations editor with Flight International Magazine, said bilateral aviation agreements will not permit an airline such as British Airways to buy Aer Lingus and then fly to the US from here.

These Stone-Age agreements mean that Aer Lingus needs at least 51% Irish ownership to operate flights from the country to the USA,” he said.

A buyout by an airline from another country would allow the new merger fly anywhere in Europe, which is an open market, but the USA would still be out of bounds.

This would make Michael O’Leary’s Ryanair the obvious company to bid for the national carrier. But Mr Learmount thinks that is unlikely.

“I believe he would want to purchase it for a song and the Government might be eluctant to sell to him because they know he would probably decimate the airline,” Mr Learmount said. The global downturn in the aviation industry since 2001 also makes Aer Lingus an unattractive purchase.

“The Government had to make a decision on when to put Aer Lingus on the market and it’s probably been under consideration for five or six years. The hope must be that a dramatic improvement in the industry is just around the corner ,” Mr Learmount said.

The aviation analyst believes the choice available to consumers won’t be reduced if Aer Lingus is sold.

“The airline is essentially run as if it’s privatised anyway. It doesn’t operate on certain available routes to the US that are not profitable,” he said.