Aer Lingus - 5

[Provance]

Aer Lingus appoints Chief Executive Officer

Mr Christoph Mueller appointed CEO

Dublin, 17 July 2009
Aer Lingus today announced the appointment of Mr Christoph Mueller as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr Mueller (47) was most recently the Aviation Director at TUI Travel plc, a leading international leisure travel group operating a pan-European airline with over 160 aircraft. Mr Mueller will join Aer Lingus as CEO on 1 October 2009. He will also be nominated to the Board of Directors.

Christoph Mueller has extensive experience within the aviation industry, having held senior positions in Daimler Benz Aerospace, Lufthansa AG, the Sabena Group, DHL and Deutsche Post AG, prior to his roles at TUI Travel plc. He served as the Chief Financial Officer of DHL Worldwide from 2002 to 2004 and became a member of the Executive Committee of Deutsche Post AG in 2004.

In January 2006, Christoph joined the Executive Committee of TUI AG with responsibility for their flight division. In 2007, TUI AG merged its travel division with First Choice Holidays PLC to form TUI Travel plc, a leading international travel group listed on the London Stock Exchange and a member of the FTSE 100. Christoph served as Executive Director, Aviation, at TUI Travel plc, where he managed a total of seven separate airlines, a fleet of 160 short-haul and long-haul aircraft and a team of 11,000 employees.

Colm Barrington, Aer Lingus Chairman commented, “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Christoph Mueller as our new Chief Executive. We conducted a thorough and rigorous recruitment process and have chosen a candidate with a proven track record within the aviation industry. Christoph has the experience and the skill-set to lead the Aer Lingus team through what is an unprecedented operating environment and to make the changes that are required at Aer Lingus.”

Christoph Mueller, Aer Lingus CEO designate, added, “I look forward to taking on the role of Chief Executive at Aer Lingus and am very pleased to have been offered the opportunity. The company has an internationally renowned brand and while there are many challenges ahead, I am excited about the medium term prospects for the business.”