Government right not to sell stake in Aer Lingus

It’s nice, once in a while, to compliment the Government, this time for rejecting the sale of Aer Lingus. Selling would be retrograde, similar to casting a salmon to catch a trout.

As referred to in the media, I cannot believe Aer Lingus ‘languishes in limbo’ on the periphery of Europe, as a small airline with nine million passengers annually, as compared with the 90m flying Ryanair.

It is a viable outfit, happily competing with the giant.

Remember, too, with progressive management and the ownership of 25 pairs of slots at Heathrow, and a notional value of €1.2bn, being small can also be beautiful. Hopefully, it continues flying the treasured grass-green emblem.

Willie Walsh, of IAG, knows both sides of the fence and is a shrewd oratorical manipulator. It is our airline and he wants it. Why?

James Gleeson,

Thurles,

Co Tipperary