Interesting comments by MOL
Ryanair's chief executive has told a German newspaper that he hopes the Irish Government's financial woes will help the airline finally seal a takeover of Aer Lingus.
Ryanair, which owns almost 30% of Aer Lingus, has tried twice to take over its rival but has struggled to overcome opposition from the Government which holds a quarter of Aer Lingus.
'The Government is broke now, it has to sell its holdings. In the end, it will sell Aer Lingus as well,' Michael O'Leary said in an interview published in daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung today.
'And I hope, we will buy Aer Lingus,' Mr O'Leary said, adding he would aim to expand Aer Lingus as quickly as possible following any deal.
'We could, for instance, get access to Charles de Gaulle (airport in Paris) and compete with EasyJet,' he said.
A takeover of Aer Lingus could also increase the likelihood that Ryanair may start buying Airbus planes.
'We have no credibility in negotiations with Airbus. They do not believe us that we really want to buy their planes. I think that will only change if we own an Airbus carrier such as Aer Lingus,' Mr O'Leary said.