As someone else said, I should have seen this coming. It's a remarkable stunt. It's a win win situation for MOL. If he succeeds he gets control of the flag carrier and one of the most famous logos in the business. Could we see the FR fleet repainted in a pretty shade of green? Never forget the status Aer Lingus still holds in Ireland. Comments from moronic politicians and unions stating that a Ryanair takeover would be bad for the country prove that. That's a throwback to the days when airlines were virtually an arm of the state. FR kicked that notion into touch some time ago.
Motivations: Embarrass the government: Get hands on LHR slots and sell them to highest bidder. FR would never fly into LHR: Acquire long haul, plenty of potential profit in long haul and frankly a Napoleonic ambition to control Europe with it's fleet of blue coated soldiers. I think 'Michaelomania' is the appropriate term here.
And make money.
If the bid fails, FR can sell it's shares and destroy the price and still make a profit.
You have to laugh really. What a diabolical plot
I remember when the the sell off was been discussed. The unions and others were worried about a foreign takeover of EI. But they were all ignoring the elephant in the room, literally. The Ryanair juggernaut continues.