Ryanair’s joint deputy chief executive Howard Millar predicted yesterday that Aer Lingus would have a “bright future” under its ownership and said it is not interested in monopolising Ireland’s air traffic.
Speaking at the Global Airfinance Conference in Dublin yesterday, Mr Millar said Aer Lingus has “largely stagnated and is going nowhere” as an independent airline.
“We have a bright future for Aer Lingus. If you don’t move forward in this industry you are moving backwards.”
Mr Millar said Ryanair had “no interest in monopolies”.
“Competition is the lifeblood of this industry. What we have is a vision for growth; a vision for competition,” he added.
Ryanair’s €1.30-a-share offer for Aer Lingus is being scrutinised by the European Commission. It has proposed remedies to allay concerns that it would have a monopoly of Irish air traffic if the bid goes through.
Earlier, Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller told the conference he was “optimistic” that the 18-month saga with staff over its pension deficit would be resolved shortly.
