European Commission decision to open in-depth investigation into Ryanair’s Offer for Aer Lingus

Dublin & London, 29 August 2012: The European Commission today announced its decision to open an in-depth investigation into Ryanair’s latest offer to acquire control of Aer Lingus Group plc (“Aer Lingus” or “Company”), Ryanair’s main competitor on routes into and out of Ireland.

Ryanair’s first attempt to take over Aer Lingus was prohibited in 2007 on competition grounds. Aer Lingus is a much stronger airline today than it was at the time of the previous Ryanair offers and is Ryanair’s only significant competitor on the vast majority of Irish air routes. The number of routes into and out of Ireland on which Aer Lingus and Ryanair compete has sharply increased since 2007. The reasons for prohibition are therefore even stronger than before.

In addition to the European Commission’s in-depth investigation, the UK Competition Commission also continues to investigate the harmful effects of Ryanair’s minority shareholding in Aer Lingus which is contrary to the interests of consumers and the majority of our shareholders.