Minister in battle for state aid for Aer Lingus

The battle to have the EU lift its ban on state aid for Aer Lingus will be fought on two fronts in Europe today.

The Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke heads for Brussels for a meeting with her Belgian counterpart, who is also the chair of the EU Transport Ministers Council.

Meanwhile, MEPs in Strasbourg will be addressing the same matter at the European Parliament.

Minister O'Rourke may be in a strong position to gain support from the Belgian minister, since that country's own carrier, Sabena, is on the brink of bankcruptcy.

It comes on foot of yet another impending crisis in the aviation industry with Europe's fourth largest carrier, Swissair, which has a major stake in Sabena, also now on the verge of doom and gloom, with 70,000 jobs on the line there.