EI has way more slots at LHR than VS, they're the 3rd biggest holder of slots there. This is because EI operate high frequency flights to and from LHR where as VS operate long haul flights.
http://www.acl-uk.org/UserFiles/File...l%20Report.pdf
According to this both EI and VS have 304 slot pairs (or 3.3%) for the Winter 2012/2013 season
However, VS operates far more destinations that EI does about of LHR
Easyjet does not fly to Ireland, and Flybe do not fly to any London airport from Ireland either.
Easyjet and Flybe operate on the London-Belfast route, remember when we are dealing with Ireland, we are counting both the ROI and NI
If the slots were sold to BA you can bet that they won't be used for IRE-LHR routes as BA would find more profitable use for them on Long haul routes.
When BA bought BMI, they gained their LHR-DUB/BHD routes, now BA could have scrapped those routes (like BMI's routes to some destinations), but they did not, even if they scrap all the ex-EI LHR routes 9and they are likely to), they will still operate from LHR to Belfast and Dublin
The EU will now refuse thetakeover as LON-IRL market moves from 4 operators (FR EI AF and BA) to 3 operators AF FR and B A. If FR had any hope the slots would need to go to VS.
Flybe, Easyjet and Aer Lingus Regional operate on the LON-IRE routes as well, make that 6 (Cityjet has a uncertain future)
Forget VS buying those slots however, they biggest concern for a state is who is now going to operate LHR-MAN/EDI/ABZ and why would DL allow VS to buy those slots anyway when they serve DUB themselves?
If anything, this just reinforces the fact that EI cannot be sold to FR as Ireland would lose it's LHR connections
BA is still operating from LHR to Dublin and Belfast, those routes came from BMI, if they did not want to operate those route, then they would have been withdrawn, but they have not, so if BA buys EI's LHRs slots, Ireland will still have connections to LHR
There are many other reasons why FR should not buy EI however...