GOVERNMENT WOULD BE ‘NUTS’ TO PASS UP OPPORTUNITY FOR AER LINGUS
A senior official at Cityjet is warning of the future impact on Aer Lingus if the IAG bid is turned down because of politics.
As the group looks to reassure shareholders about its plans for Heathrow slots, the Taoiseach this morning insisted all details of the bid would be examined.
Non-executive chairman of Cityjet, Pat Byrne, says we would be nuts to pass up this opportunity.
And he says the fallout could hit the airline hard in the future.
“If this opportunity is passed up for political reasons, it sends out a terrible message” he said.
“And when we’re looking for money for Aer Lingus in the future state aid will not be allowed and their looking new investment, other private investors out there are going to take a look at this and say ‘hang on a second – we’re always going to be held to ransom by the 25 percent shareholder who will satisfy…local, political needs” he added.
